Do braces give you a lisp?

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Orthodontist In London Waterloo | Whites Dental
Orthodontic Braces & Invisalign In London | Whites Dental

Getting Braces fitted

Orthodontic braces can help correct teeth alignment issues such as crowded teeth, gaps in teeth, crooked teeth and more. Adults in London are increasingly opting for braces treatment to transform their smile. Regardless of what you might look or sound like for a short period of time, think about the long-term effect you will have by getting braces. Your ultimate goal should be to be healthy and look good. If you’ve decided that straightening your teeth is the right choice for you, there are many alternatives you can discuss with our orthodontists. Our wonderful dental team here at Whites Dental would be delighted to be a part of your dental transformation. We provide a range of braces treatments including Ceramic braces, Invisalign braces, Damon Fast, clear braces and lingual braces. We are conveniently based in London Waterloo, adjacent to Southwark Station or a quick walk from Elephant and Castle.

Braces are a great option for people of any age, provided that their teeth and gums are healthy and strong enough to hold them. Braces are particularly a good choice for children, who still have malleable gums and bone tissues. It is still a great option for adults but the time needed to achieve the desired results might take a little bit longer than in children. Treatment can take anywhere between a few months to three years depending on the type of braces you choose, the complexity of your case and what you need to have done. Getting braces placed on your teeth is not a painful procedure. It usually takes one to two hours to have braces put on your teeth. Your orthodontist will start by putting bands around your back molars. This may involve some slight pressure or pinching, but it shouldn’t be painful. Then, your orthodontist will applie a special glue to your teeth (the glue doesn’t necessarily taste good, but it doesn’t hurt). Your orthodontist will glue brackets onto each of your teeth, and then join the brackets with wires. At the end, everything will be held with elastic bands.

Within a few hours, you will most likely begin to develop some mild pain and soreness in your teeth and gums. This pain might last about a week. This is the time you will be getting used to the feeling of your new braces. The wires and rubber bands put gentle pressure on your teeth to slowly straighten them. This pressure might take some time to get used to but you eventually will! You may experience some of the following symptoms during the first week after getting braces:

  • Speech impairment
  • Pain or sore on the insides of your cheeks
  • Mouth ulcers or canker sores
  • Injuries from your appliance

Most pain caused by wearing braces can be treated with over-the-counter painkillers. Stick to a soft, no-chew foods diet for the first week, such as soup, yogurt, and ice cream. Some foods to avoid- hard and sticky candy, popcorn, and gum can all damage your braces. Cold drinks and smoothies can also help sooth inflamed gums.

Do braces give you a lisp orthodontist in london | Whites Dental

A person wears teeth straightening devices like braces or Invisalign to correct their set of crooked teeth. However, while primarily a corrective action, braces sometimes hinder speech fluency. Slightly slurred speech and other struggles are to be expected as a normal response to the initial adjustment period. A lisp occurs when a patient is unable to pronounce affricate or fricative consonants, e.g. /s/, /z/, /sh/, /ch/ and other variations of the these sounds. The lisp is primarily a misarticulation that results in unclear speech and is typically due to error in tongue placement within the mouth. When someone wears braces that are wrongly fitted or too thick, the tongue protrudes beyond the front teeth. This would in turn result in heavy speech impediment.

Although it may sound very discouraging, know that it is not a hopeless situation. With enough practice and getting used to, you will be able to go back to being fluent in no time. Unfortunately, some individuals develop a lisping effect in their speech due to neglect.

While there are lingual braces available that help improve speech ability, our team at Whites Dental believes all it really takes to conquer any type of speech impediment caused by braces is exploring the mouth, the tongue and the teeth’s ability to form sounds.

Speech Impediment or Lisp

Any speech impairment or difficulty resulting from adjustment to wearing braces is temporary. The tongue may be having trouble reaching places and you may find yourself lisping at times.

Corrective Action

When a person ends up with braces that are wrongly fitted or too thick, the tongue protrudes beyond the front teeth. This would obviously result in heavy speech impairment. However, even if the braces are a perfect fit, it could be the strange sensation the wires bring that results in difficulty in pronunciation.

The most efficient way of correcting a lisp or speech impairment due to braces is working on improving your articulation. Isolate sounds and practice correcting each sound in isolation. You can consult with a speech-language therapist or tell us about your concern so we can look at the possibility of other orthodontic treatment that may be friendlier to your condition. We at Whites Dental take great pride in the use of dental appliances that combine comfort, aesthetics and function.

Orthodontic braces & Invisalign in London Waterloo | Whites Dental

For further information on how to complete that perfect smile, get in touch with us, we can point you in the right direction. Our dedicated dental team are always happy to discuss the best treatment for your needs, and to provide honest, impartial advice on how best to care for your teeth.

For more information on orthodontic braces, visit our orthodontics homepage – https://www.whitesdental.co.uk/orthodontist-teeth-straightening-london-waterloo/

At Whites Dental, we have an amazing team of dental professionals waiting to give you a very positive dental experience. We also have some of the leading cosmetic dentists in London working with us.

They are qualified in providing composite bonding, porcelain veneer and composite veneer procedures to patients near us in London Waterloo, Southwark, Central London, Elephant and Castle and London Bridge. This page provides information on whether it is painful to get veneers. We are based in London Waterloo, right across the road from Southwark Tube station and very close to London Waterloo rail station.

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