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Clear aligners are considered a revolutionary breakthrough in the world of orthodontics, especially when compared to age-old metal braces. While these aligners have made teeth straightening easy and effective, users can expect some challenges adjusting to these aligners when formulating speech.
Speech is a voluntary action that comes naturally to us, and while many of us may never pay attention to it, the presence of a clear aligner in our mouth can definitely make the process more difficult. Find out how wearing aligners can affect your speech and if there are any ways to work around it.
Speech and Clear Aligners
Clear aligners are plastic dental trays that are created for the sole purpose of straightening your teeth. They do so by applying slight pressure to your misaligned teeth. While this may sound good and dandy, wearing a dental appliance is bound to have some effects on your speech.
Lisping
Mispronouncing the letters “s” and “z” as “th” is termed lisping. This condition arises due to the change in position of the tongue while wearing aligners.
Slurring
While lisping primarily affects a few letters, slurring on the other hand tends to blend and mesh words together. This is caused not only by the change in tongue movements but also due to the increased saliva production as the body is trying to adjust itself to the newly introduced clear aligners.
Whistling
If you are involuntarily creating a hissing sound when trying to speak, this condition is known as whistling. It can arise due to a combination of changes in tongue movement, saliva production, and primarily airflow disruption.
Ways To Improve Speech While Wearing Aligners
Record Your Voice
The best way to ensure you’re talking correctly is to simply hear yourself. While the tip may sound basic, its effectiveness can have long-lasting effects. Simply record yourself while talking to assess where your speech starts distorting. For a more advanced approach, try adding multiple tongue twisters to help your mouth muscles adapt faster to the changes made by the clear aligners.
Be Conscious
Another simple yet effective way to improve your speech while going through clear aligner treatment is to be aware of how your speech is being affected. To do this, try focusing on the letters or words that are giving you a hard time and work around them. Furthermore, focus on how your tongue, teeth, and mouth muscles are moving when formulating speech to assess where the problem lies.
Stay Hydrated
The presence of a foreign object in our mouth, such as clear aligners, can lead to varying changes in the salivary glands, which results in either an increase or a decrease in the amount of saliva being produced. Keeping yourself hydrated can help counteract the effects of both more and less saliva production by ensuring a balance in the body fluids. This in turn helps make your speech more fluent and clear.
Consult With an Orthodontist
While the above tips can help improve your speech when wearing clear aligners, it is best to keep your orthodontist or dentist in the loop about the changes you’re experiencing so that they can recommend custom-tailored, speech therapy, and much more.
ALIGNERCO Clear Aligners For Better Speech
The challenges caused by clear aligners are primarily attributed to their thickness and build. To overcome such issues, ALIGNERCO provides custom-made clear aligners that prioritize your dental requirements while ensuring comfort and effectiveness. Moreover, a blend of sleek build quality and attention to detail results in a clear aligner treatment experience that helps straighten your teeth while minimizing disruptions in your speech.
Dealing with minor speech problems while wearing clear aligners is normal, especially in the initial phases. Dealing with minor speech problems while wearing clear aligners is normal, especially in the initial phases. While consistently wearing your aligners and working on reducing speech issues can help, try consulting with an orthodontist for expert advice. To ensure you are getting the best possible treatment for your teeth straightening and speech improvement.
FAQs
1. Why do clear aligners affect speech?
Speech is primarily affected due to clear aligners acting as a barricade between the tongue, teeth, and other speech muscles.
2. How long does it take for speech to improve while wearing clear aligners?
While the duration may vary depending on person to person, an average of one to two weeks is considered more than enough for an individual to get used to talking while wearing clear aligners.
