New to board: Is having speech problems normal?

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#1 Post by **A Nitty** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:47 pm

Hello all,

I have had braces for about 4 months now.

While not bad at all, I have noticed a slight slur/lisp I guess with my speech.

Have trouble pronouncing certain words now, can't exactly put my finger on it. Things that have a "s" or "f" sound give me the most trouble....

Is this normal?

#2 Post by **cwatt1** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 5:20 pm

I've found the same thing happens to me, (letters "s" and "f"), especially if I'm tired or I've been talking a lot and my mouth is a little sore. I don't know if you've had this experience, but I sometimes have a tendency during those times to not open my mouth quite as much. It helps me if I concentrate on making sure I articulate the words slowly.

#3 Post by **PARR** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 5:36 pm

Yes, it seems to be a real phenomanon for many, including me and chef. Lithping all over the place. I'm told it's very slight, but it sounds to my own ears quite pronounced. It is obvious that when your "normal" positions for teeth etc are shifted through orthodontics, your speech will change and it will take time to regain regularity.

#4 Post by **Pepper** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:06 pm

Yeah, I have a slight lisp. You just kind of learn to live with it and work around it. It's not a big deal. People don't really notice. People still understand me.

Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:41 pm

I did the first week but now it is gone

#6 Post by **elektro** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:00 am

I've got a slight lisp that comes back from time to time. As others have said it's because your teeth are moving gradually, and your tongue needs to naturally "re-find" where to go to make the "s" sound. It isn't a big deal for me - usually if I find my self lisping, the next day I'll be fine.

#7 Post by **SandraJones** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 11:02 am

I have the lisp problem too. And it seems to be getting worse ... now that my upper central incisors are not so retroclined, my overjet has increased (as predicted by my orthodontist) and I think my tongue doesn't know how to compensate ! I suspect that over the years my tongue has gotten lazy and it has leveraged my increasingly malaligned and maloccluded teeth to prounce the consonant, and now that my teeth are on the move my tongue is lost.

I just discovered if I raise the tip of my tongue higher, I get a better 's'.

Added note ... I *think* too my constricted upper arch and fat tongue play a big part. It's very difficult for me to fit my tongue in my upper arch, so it requires extra effort to get the tip up high because the sides of the tongue are under my molars and premolars, not between them.

#8 Post by **iBorg** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 11:23 am

I think you need to understand that what you hear is not what others hear. I've been very nervous about how bad I sound and I ask others. Either thay are too nice to say (doubtful) or it truly is all in my head.

Mike

#9 Post by **SandraJones** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:23 am

Hey, you just gave me an idea ... I'm going to call myself and leave a message, and then listen to the message.

I'll pick a message with lots of 's', 't', and 'l' sounds, the sounds I have most difficulty with.