Now that you’ve got your new dentures, you may notice for the first few days or so that your speech sounds a bit strange. This sort of thing can be a bit distressing and make one wonder if others notice it as well.
Most new wearers tend to wonder about why their new dental prostheses:
- The dentures seem to make a clicking noise when they’re speaking
- Why F’s and S’s seem difficult to pronounce properly
- Is my speech noticeably different
The reason your new dentures may seem to make clicking noise it is because when you speak, the movement causes vibrations in your jawbones. This sound is not so noticeable with natural teeth, but changes and increases with dentures. One way to reduce this clicking is to speak more slowly. This lessens movement of your lower plate. Your mouth muscles must become accustomed to “holding” your dentures in place, but once they do, your dentures will slip less when you speak. Using a denture adhesive can help with the slipping. Also, try biting your dentures together and swallowing before you speak as this helps those muscles “get a grip” better.
Pronouncing such sounds as F’s and S’s requires your entire mouth and teeth to work together. If you feel as though your dentures aren’t secure, you may not move your mouth correctly. One way to gain confidence in speaking is to read aloud as often as possible.
Believe it or not, in most cases the person you’re speaking to doesn’t really notice any difference in your speech when you wear dentures. Most of the time, the sounds are only noticeable to the denture wearer. Unless you point out that you’re wearing new dentures, no one will really pay attention.
Like anything else that is a change in your life, getting used to wearing your new dentures takes time, patience and practice. Following these few tips can help make that adjustment quite a bit easier. Of course, if your discomfort continues or your dentures truly feel like they don’t fit correctly, you may want to contact your dental care provider and see if they need to be relined or adjusted. Morley Denture Professionals is a specialist in making custom dentures in Perth