If you're considering Invisalign to straighten your teeth, you may be wondering if the aligners will affect the way you speak. Here's more from our Delta dentist on how Invisalign might impact the way you talk when you begin your treatment.
While it's true that wearing any orthodontic appliance has the potential to affect the way you talk, fact is that, Invisalign is not likely to give you a lisp or speech impediment.
When you first begin wearing your aligners you may notice a slight lisp, but it's usually only obvious to you, is usually temporary, and can be corrected if it persists.
Adjusting to Invisalign
Your mouth and tongue will need some time to re-learn how to make sounds now that you're wearing your new aligners. This will only be a brief adjustment period and it should also be very minor.
In just a few days you will be used to wearing your aligners and any speech impediments you've experienced, due to your aligners, should disappear on their own.
Nonetheless, lisps and other speech impediments can sometimes be caused by the aligners if they're not fitted properly to your teeth. Contact your dentist to ensure your aligners are fitted correctly if you think this may be the case.
Correcting a Persistent Lisp
If you've noticed a slight lisp caused by your Invisalign aligners that isn't going away naturally, you can correct it by simply practicing the pronunciation of words while wearing your aligners.
Try reading aloud to yourself, talking with family and friends, and even chatting to pets in order to overcome a lisp and feel more comfortable wearing your aligners.