Will dentures affect my speech?

Yes, dentures will affect your speech when you first insert them. But it may be an improvement if you’ve been wearing ill-fitting dentures or didn’t have teeth at all. This is because your tongue and teeth work together to enunciate words. In fact, you need teeth to correctly say the word, “teeth” out loud.

With new dentures, your tongue is touching differently than it previously did. You may also notice your voice sounds constrained. These symptoms are completely normal and should be expected with new dentures. However, after a few days of reading aloud or talking in front of a mirror, you should be able to enunciate words like normal again. However, you may need extra practice with words starting with the letters, “s” and “t’.

There are times when the dentures themselves can affect your speech too. For example, if your dentures produce a whistle, they may be too far forward or lack rugae thickness — which is the area located in the roof of your mouth. A lisp often means your dentures are too thick and if you have difficulty with “th” sounds, your dentures may be placed too far forward. Talk with your dentist if you’re experiencing any of these problems. They’ll be able to correct them for you.