Learning to Speak with New Dentures: What to Expect

By replacing all of your missing teeth, dentures can significantly improve your ability to chew, speak, and smile. That being said, when you first get your prosthesis, you may find talking to be somewhat awkward at first. Speaking with dentures takes some getting used to, but you can prepare ahead of time by learning more about what you can expect. Here’s a closer look at how dentures can impact speech and what you can do to help the adjustment process along.

Why Do Dentures Affect the Way You Talk?

Dentures may resemble your natural teeth, but they aren’t exactly the same. Your tongue will need time to learn how to move around the prosthesis properly to make certain sounds. Also, your dentures may have a tendency to slip until the muscles in your mouth figure out how to keep them in place. If your dentures move while you’re talking, it can result in speech difficulties.

How Exactly Can Dentures Affect Speech?

It’s not uncommon for dentures to cause you to lisp when trying to pronounce words that contain “s,” “f,” or “v” sounds. You may also sometimes slur your words if your dentures slip out of place at the wrong moment. In some cases, you may also hear a clicking noise when talking. This is caused by bringing your upper and lower dentures too hard against each other; it can be hard to notice that you’re doing this at first, since the artificial teeth in dentures don’t contain any nerves.

What Can You Do About Denture Speech Problems?

The sooner your mouth gets used to the presence of dentures, the sooner you can put the speech problems they might be causing behind you. As such, your best strategy is to continue wearing your dentures every day and give yourself plenty of practice speaking with them.

You may find it helpful to get in the habit of reading aloud with your dentures. This makes it easier to identify the types of words that are giving you trouble so that you can practice saying them repeatedly.

It’s also a good idea to spend more time speaking with your friends and family members. That way, you can get helpful feedback from someone you trust. Additionally, successfully speaking with others while wearing your dentures can give your confidence a boost.

The important thing to keep in mind is that it’s perfectly normal for there to initially be some challenges while speaking with your dentures. Once you’ve gotten past the adjustment period, you’ll find it much easier to speak clearly!

About the Author

Dr. Steven E. Amburgey has more than 15 years of dental experience. He is a graduate of the WVU Dental School, and he is proud to be able to help his patients in Abingdon protect and improve their smiles. He offers high-quality, natural-looking dentures for patients missing most or all of their teeth. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Amburgey at Amburgey Dental, visit his website or call (276) 258-5568.