Researching upper lingual braces only, SPEECH problems?

[mikeloop]

Hey guys, long story short.. I did invisalign for 3 days, they really AREN'T invisible and looked like sesame, and they kept cutting the roof of my mouth, they just weren't for me. Lost a whole bunch of money, but what can ya do right!

I do want to get lingual braces, and as my bottom teeth are just about perfect, I want to go with UPPER lingual braces only, either in-ovation or incognito! Any suggestions?

ANYWAYS, my main question is do lingual braces on your upper teeth only cause any lisps etc, that will be present the entire treatment? Or is it temporary? I was fine after a couple hours with my lisp with invisalign!

[jessicamay]

Hey,

I have got lingual braces on the top and had them on for 2 weeks before I got lower ceramics.

My speech was slightly affected as your tongue is so used to making sounds off the back of your top teeth, it took me a few weeks till I sounded 100% normal although I was pleasantly surprised by the whole thing - I was chatting to my mum on the phone a few hours after I had them put on and she didnt notice anything. You do have good days and bad days for the first few weeks as your mouth feels pretty sore and it's tiring for your tongue to learn the new ways of making 's' and 't' sounds.

Best tip is to train your tongue to naturally rest on the roof of your mouth, it makes the sounds much easier to form.

Good luck!!

[janel]

Hi

I had upper lingual braces put on a week ago and it felt very strange to start with (a bit as though I was talking with my mouth full!) However, by the time I left the practice, I felt as though I was talking fine! I couldn't believe it. Minutes, hours and days after fitting, my family and friends have all said they can't tell any difference. I do feel as though I have to think about what I'm saying carefully (especially 'st' sounds) and I do sometimes think I sound funny but apparently I don't. It must just sound a bit odd to me occasionally - my friends and family have told me they're actually disappointed they can't make fun of me! They assure me there hasn't been one time they've thought I've said something differently in the whole week that's passed since I've had them on.

I do think I have been lucky from what I have read about other people's experiences but I hope this gives you some reassurance. The speech was the main issue I was worried about since I'm such a self-conscious person and my job (teaching) relies so much on speaking well.

[itsleelance]

[quote="janel"]Hi

I had upper lingual braces put on a week ago and it felt very strange to start with (a bit as though I was talking with my mouth full!) However, by the time I left the practice, I felt as though I was talking fine! I couldn't believe it. Minutes, hours and days after fitting, my family and friends have all said they can't tell any difference. I do feel as though I have to think about what I'm saying carefully (especially 'st' sounds) and I do sometimes think I sound funny but apparently I don't. It must just sound a bit odd to me occasionally - my friends and family have told me they're actually disappointed they can't make fun of me! They assure me there hasn't been one time they've thought I've said something differently in the whole week that's passed since I've had them on.

I do think I have been lucky from what I have read about other people's experiences but I hope this gives you some reassurance. The speech was the main issue I was worried about since I'm such a self-conscious person and my job (teaching) relies so much on speaking well.[/quote]

Yea, I would imagine that you would judge yourself a bit more harshly than others. If your friends tell you that they can't hear anything then that's awesome! Always good to hear stories like this.

[maxhammer]

I've hand linguals on since March. This is the thing: your speech gradually becomes better, but you'll probably have a small lisp. It's not a big deal, and using wax helps. The worst part for me is the ortho used a wire with hooks (to attach the power chains/close gaps), and my tongue kept hitting those hooks. I imagine if you didn't have extractions it would be much easier to adjust. I was talking pretty well until he put those hooks in.

[smartygirl]

i have that - the wire with hooks - i think it's called a lingual bar? or i should say i *had* that, as it came loose this week (after 6 months or whatever). i found i bit my tongue a lot with it in. it took a while to get used to, and was hard to put wax or the smoshy stuff on since i couldn't see what i was doing!

[maxhammer]

i have that - the wire with hooks - i think it's called a lingual bar? or i should say i *had* that, as it came loose this week (after 6 months or whatever). i found i bit my tongue a lot with it in. it took a while to get used to, and was hard to put wax or the smoshy stuff on since i couldn't see what i was doing!

Exactly, that thing sucks. It poked my tongue and made me lisp more than the brackets did.

[mikeloop]

Does anyone have or can anyone take a picture of this bar? IS it visible?

Does everyone have to get elastics?

[smartygirl]

Does anyone have or can anyone take a picture of this bar? IS it visible?

Does everyone have to get elastics?

i never had elastics.
and the bar was totally not visible. i had no idea what it looked like at all until it fell out. (there's a picture of it here if you're interested: http://its-the-comeback-kid.blogspot.co ... mesis.html) my ortho decided i could go without it after it fell out because "it had done its job."

[xtremsk8terk2]

I have elastics and I don't mind them at all. Honestly, I have never had anyone notice them in my mouth. The buttons they put on your teeth are white and only noticeable to you. The elastics themselves are excellent for moving teeth and improving your bite. I actually hate not having the elastics on because I know it will ultimately mean I will have my braces on that much longer.