Before starting Invisalign treatment, we are frequently asked if it will affect patients' speech, leaving them with a lisp or issues pronouncing certain words. Many people can experience lisps with conventional braces, but what about the clear aligners that Invisalign uses? Finding the answer online can be tricky, which is why we are here to help and let you know what to expect when you have your Invisalign.
Before we look at how Invislaikgn impacts your speech, we have a quick refresher on what to expect during your treatment.
Every Invisalign treatment begins with an initial consultation to determine if you are a suitable candidate for Invisalign. During your consultation, we take impressions of your teeth and carry out X-rays and other digital scans to create a 3D model of your teeth. Using SmileView, we can show you what your new smile would look like and provide the opportunity to make adjustments to your smile.
Once you are happy with how your new smile will look, we will get to work on creating a personalised treatment plan that will help you achieve your new smile and begin working on constructing your custom Invisalign aligners.
When your aligners have been made, you will be invited to another appointment with one of our dentists. Here, we will check to see that your aligners are correct and show you how to use them. We will run through the treatment plan, explaining how every two weeks or so, you will transition to a different aligner as your teeth move into their new position.
During the treatment, you will wear your aligners for 20 to 22 hours a day, only removing them to eat, drink, brush and floss your teeth. We will cover how to care for your aligners, too, and answer any questions that you have about your treatment.
To ensure that your smile remains healthy and your treatment progresses as it should, we will invite you for routine checkups every six weeks or so. During these appointments, we will check your progress, make adjustments to your treatment plan, and carry out routine dental work to keep your smile healthy.
It can take between a few weeks to two years for your new smile to be completed, depending on your goals and what concerns you were addressing. When you have completed your treatment, you will need to wear a retainer at night to keep your new smile in place.
When you first begin your Invisalign treatment, it is common for your speech to be impacted, and you might develop a lisp. This is because of the new sensation you will experience when wearing the aligners for most of the day. Although the aligners are thin, you will feel them on your teeth, and this can change how you speak. Your tongue will have less room to move in your mouth and can cause a lisp when pronouncing some words, especially those with 's' and 'z' sounds.
Not everyone will experience a lisp, but it is a common side effect, and you shouldn't worry about it too much. It is likely that you will notice the lisp more than anyone around you, and it is unlikely that anyone will point it out.
Any lisp that you develop with your Invisalign will likely only last a few days. The best thing to do to reduce the lisp is to keep talking. This way, you will get used to wearing the aligners, your tongue will adapt to its new surroundings, and your speech will return to normal.
You can speed this up by writing down the words you struggle pronouncing and practice repeating them. You can also recite words and phrases, like the rainbow passage, that include all the sounds and mouth movements in normal speech to help get your mouth used to speak with your aligners.
Should you feel self-conscious and you have an important meeting or presentation, you can take the aligners out, but make sure you are still wearing them for at least 20 hours a day.
The thickness of your aligners will change throughout your treatment, and as they get thinner, you should not experience the same issues with your speech. If you have a lisp after a few weeks, speak to one of our dentists. Your aligners might not be fitting correctly and could need adjusting to prevent this from happening.
It is difficult to predict who will develop a lisp during their treatment, so we can't offer advice on how to avoid a lisp. Although the lisp will be temporary for some patients, if you are concerned about a lisp, it's worth considering other options than Invisalign. Conventional fixed braces attach to the front of your teeth and are unlikely to impact your speech. Although they are more noticeable, you can opt for clear brackets to reduce their appearance.
To help you tackle a lisp with Invisalign, we have compiled our top tips that can help you to improve your speech and reduce how long you experience the lisp. Some of these tips might not work for everyone, but it's worth trying a mixture of these to see if they make a difference to your lisp.
We recommend that you practice speaking at every opportunity to help you get used to the aligners. Speaking to family and friends, reading aloud, or even singing can help your mouth adapt to the aligners. You can also make use of speaking exercises that speech therapists typically use to increase your familiarity with the aligners in your mouth.
Making sure that you drink enough water is also very important. Aligners can dry your mouth out, which can affect your speech. By staying hydrated you can help to reduce your lisp while your mouth gets used to the aligners.
While you adjust to the aligners, it is a good idea to slow your speech, speaking slowly and deliberately. Speaking slower can enhance the clarity of your words, making it easier for you to articulate words while wearing your aligners.
Sometimes your aligners can have rough edges which will irritate your gums and can impact your speech. Orthodontic wax can help to smooth these aligners and reduce the discomfort. Take a small amount of wax and apply it to the problematic area to smooth the edges and improve your ability to speak comfortably.
Reading aloud is a great way to practice your enunciation and pronunciation, helping you get used to speaking with aligners in your mouth. You can read whatever you prefer, like scripts, articles, and books.
If, after trying all the other tips, you are still struggling with your speech, we recommend speaking to a dentist. There might be an issue with your aligners, and we can make adjustments to improve your comfort and help you speak clearly while wearing them. We can also offer some more guidance when we see you in person and see how you are speaking with the aligners in your mouth.
Invisalign aligners can sometimes impact your speech, giving you a temporary lisp. The lisp should not last very long, and by following our tips, you can reduce how long you have the lisp. You can book your Invisalign treatment in Melbourne with us to learn more about how your dream smile could look and how to reduce a lisp during the treatment.
Here are some articles on common issues we help correct with the Invisalign treatment we give to patients:
Check out some of our guides for more information on Invisalign treatment:
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