All new denture wearers face a period of adjusting to new dentures, and for many, speaking poses one of the most significant challenges. Fortunately, dentists can offer patients various tips to promote effortless speech.
Dentures tend to sit differently in the mouth compared with natural teeth. As a result, the tongue falls into new positions that lead to difficulties producing certain sounds and words. In addition, muscles in the face and jaw may move in new ways around prosthetics. These factors can lead to temporary speech changes.
Fortunately, most dental patients adjust naturally to speaking with dentures and re-master pre-denture speech quickly. Dentists can also offer various suggestions to facilitate the process.
Saying numbers and letters aloud is an excellent way to practice shorter sounds and syllables that ultimately combine to create longer phrases. In addition, this exercise can serve as a starting point for improving speaking stamina.
Patients who read books and newspapers aloud while adjusting to new dentures learn to position the tongue and mouth in ways necessary to produce complex sounds in succession. As with any exercise, the mouth and jaw muscles gradually strengthen, and speech becomes more fluid. Choosing text with challenging words, including tongue twisters or technical terms, is particularly beneficial.
Singing allows new denture-wearers to produce words and sounds at a slower pace than speaking. As a result, individuals can more easily focus on where to position the tongue and activate muscles. In addition, singing allows denture wearers to sustain sounds while listening to determine which corrections lead to improved speech pronunciation.
Speaking or singing in front of a mirror is an excellent way to help denture wearers see precisely how mouth and tongue movements affect speech. It can also reveal areas of facial tension that may signify that muscles are weak or overworking.
Many people experience facial soreness when speaking while adjusting to new dentures because dental prosthetics use previously underused muscles. Therefore, dentists recommend that patients begin facial exercises several weeks before getting new dentures to build facial muscle strength. For example, holding an exaggerated smile for several seconds can help strengthen the muscles necessary for fluid speech while wearing dentures.
Denture wearers can use speech recognition software programs to help detect incorrect diction and pronunciation. In addition, reading a text and reviewing its transcription can help measure progress by producing a record that reveals where improvement exists or is needed.
Dentists encourage new denture wearers to engage in conversations with close friends and relatives as much as possible during the adjustment period. In addition to promoting confidence from speaking at a conversational pace, patients with new dentures can count on receiving helpful feedback from those close to them.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Adjusting to New Dentures in New York, NY
Dentists can recommend various tips and techniques to help patients speak confidently while adjusting to new dentures. As a result, most people adapt quickly and experience noticeable improvement.
Request an appointment or call New York Dental Office at 212-548-3261 for an appointment in our New York office.
When a significant change comes to your life, it can be a little difficult to feel comfortable. This is often the case when adjusting to new dentures. At first, the dentures tend to feel a bit awkward in the mouth, and it may not be as easy to do certain things. Routine actions such as…
When adjusting to new dentures, patients are sometimes unsure of how to take care of them. Dentures need to be kept clean just like natural teeth, but it is not always obvious how to do so or what should be used. One question, in particular, stands out: "Is it okay to use mouthwash?"A common piece…
When you are adjusting to new dentures, it may seem that taking care of them requires a lot of time. Not only do you need to brush them every day, but you also need to soak them in a special solution each time you take them out overnight. Eventually, your denture care steps will become…
Dentures can restore confidence in one’s smile and quality of life for those who have suffered tooth loss. However, it may not happen overnight, and getting used to dentures will take some time. Still, many denture wearers find the benefits of dentures are worth the wait. Though it may take some time to acclimate to…
Receiving dentures is a straightforward process, but it is determined by the type of dentures you receive. There are three types of dentures we will consider for your case, and in doing so, we will walk you through the process in depth at the time of your appointment. This article strives to provide you with…
