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When you first get your new denture, you’ll be excited to regain a complete set of teeth that’s capable of helping you eat and speak much better, as well as provide you with a new sense of confidence! However, it’s important to set realistic expectations for both your new prosthetic and yourself. You can expect hurdles as you’re adjusting to your new denture, like difficulties talking. Read on to learn more about what those barriers will look like and some helpful tips to overcome them.
Common Problems Talking with New Dentures
When your dentist in Clinton Township first shows you how to use your dentures, you may want to take them out for a test drive that very same day and go visit your friends for brunch or a dinner. However, you shouldn’t expect them to function exactly like your natural teeth for a number of reasons, like because they’re a foreign object in your mouth that requires a great deal of muscle use and because you aren’t yet used to them!
Some common problems that can arise when speaking with your new dentures include:
- A clicking sound. This is the result of all of your oral structures (your lips, tongue, cheeks, etc.) working together to try to eject your dentures from your mouth.
- Difficulty pronouncing certain sounds. Words with hard S- and F-sounds will be difficult to say at first without a lisp. This is because your tongue isn’t yet used to where it should be within the mouth with your dentures in.
- You’ll sound a little different. Other speech problems that you may not have had before dentures could arise, but don’t worry, these are all a part of the adjustment period!
Tips for Overcome Difficulties Talking with New Dentures
When it comes to talking with dentures, practice makes perfect, which is why it’s so important to be patient with yourself! To help speed up the process of getting great at talking with your new dentures in your mouth, follow these helpful tips:
- To make sure your dentures don’t slip or shift within your mouth, try using a denture adhesive to help with stability. These come in the form of creams, powder, and strips, and your dentist can recommend some products for you if you aren’t sure where to start.
- Before you begin talking, bite down and swallow to get them in a good position.
- Practice talking in the shower and reading out loud. This will help you get used to saying common words. A more advanced adaptation of this practice is to read or speak in front of a mirror, allowing you to see where your tongue goes and what looks unnatural.
- Practice on your family! The people who you feel won’t judge you are always the best to practice speaking to!
- Count to 100 out loud to help you practice the sounds of more difficult words.
How Long Will Adjusting to New Dentures Take?
Adjusting to dentures typically takes between two weeks and a month. A couple of changes that happen over the course of this time is that sore spots will decrease, and your mouth will create less saliva in response to the presence of your dentures, making it much easier to talk.
If it’s long past your adjustment period and you’re still having difficulty pronouncing words, it could be because your dentures aren’t a perfect fit. In this case, you’ll need to visit your dentist to have them re-fitted or adjusted. Just remember to give yourself some time to learn how to use your new set of pearly whites!
About the Author
Dr. Milad Rabban has over a decade of experience practicing dentistry. She’s had the opportunity to help thousands of patients regain healthy and whole smiles with quality tooth replacement solutions like full and partial dentures. She even offers implant dentures, which eliminates any slipping and shifting that would make it difficult to talk with traditional dentures for those who want a more lifelike result. For questions or to schedule a consultation and learn more, visit Clinton Township Family Dental’s website or call 586-416-1444.