If you’re new to dentures, you may find that speaking is a bit tricky at first with a dental appliance in your mouth. Here are a few tips for our Surrey dentists on how to get better at talking with your dentures in.
Whether your dentures are removable or permanent, talking can feel awkward until you become accustomed to your new teeth.
Even with the best dentures available, you can still experiences changes or difficulties in your speech at the outset. For example, you may have trouble pronouncing S’s and F’s, and your dentures may make clicking noises or shift while you’re talking.
The good news is that you’ll get used to your dentures with practice and time, and you’ll eventually go back to feeling perfectly comfortable when talking.
In the meantime, here are a few useful tips to help make things go more smoothly:
Dentures alter the anatomy of your oral cavity, so they may increase or alter the sound of your voice. When you talked before you had dentures, vibrations travelled through the bones of your jaw and skull, but with the dentures in place, it's going to sound a bit different. Just remember that the difference is much more noticeable to you than to anyone hearing your voice from the outside.
If you hear clicking when you talk, try speaking more slowly. This will prevent additional movements that lift or shift your lower denture. Keeping the lower denture stable requires help from the muscles in your lips, tongue, and cheeks, and this can take practice to master.
It can also help to bite down gently and swallow before you start speaking to keep your dentures in their proper position.
If your dentures often slip out of place you can try a denture adhesive, as recommended by your dentist.
Practicing speaking when you’re alone can also help. Read out loud, repeat words that you have trouble pronouncing, or even talk to your pets. Daily speech practice will help you speak with confidence.