New Dentures? 3 Common Speech Issues and What You Can Do About Them
It's quite logical that you might encounter some minor issues with your speech when you receive new dentures. Your mouth has to support the new weight of the dentures, however minimal that might be. There is also additional mass in your mouth, made of both the prosthetic teeth and the plate or plates that support them. So while some minor issues with your speech can be quite common when you receive new dentures, it's important to remember that these issues are easy to overcome. So what are some of the most common issues that you might encounter, and what can you do about them?
1. Excess Saliva Production
It's not as though you will be drooling when you receive your new dentures, but excess saliva production is quite normal. This can make you feel self-conscious when speaking, although it should not actually alter your speech patterns. Your mouth takes some time to become accustomed to wearing the dentures and can regard them as a foreign body for a short time. This triggers excess saliva production, much like a baby sucking on a pacifier.
What Can You Do? Not much needs to be done. You will quickly get used to the feeling of the dentures, and your saliva production will quickly return to normal levels. You will also get into the habit of swallowing more frequently while you wait for this to happen.
2. Lisping
It can also be common to develop a lisp when you receive new dentures. This is not always the case, but your tongue generally touches the back of your teeth when you pronounce the letter S. Perhaps your dentures have positioned prosthetic teeth in an area that was previously empty, and the usual tongue motion when pronouncing the letter S now results in a lisping sound.
What Can You Do? Again, you will quickly get used to it. You might wish to practise the S sound with some tongue twisters. "She sells sea shells by the sea shore" is an old favourite. If after practising, you are still lisping or you produce a whistling noise, you might wish to see your dentist. A whistling noise or ongoing lisp can be the result of your upper dental plate lacking sufficient thickness. This is quick and easy to fix.
3. Clicking Noise
Do you hear a clicking noise when you speak? This can be caused by your dentures slipping when you speak, which should not be the case with new dentures. You might also be inadvertently prodding your dentures with your tongue, causing them to shift their position back and forth, producing that clicking noise.
What Can You Do? If you are not prodding your dentures in any way, then you should see your dentist. The upper and/or lower dental plates might need to be resized for a better fit, which involves a perfectly straightforward process. In the short-term, you can also try denture adhesive, although you should not necessarily need this to secure new dentures.
So while a few minor issues can be quite common when you receive new dentures, please remember that they are temporary.
