Can Invisalign for Teens Affect Speech?

A significant advantage of Invisalign® for teens is that it makes the treatment more discreet and less conspicuous than traditional braces. Nevertheless, you may be worried that the treatment will affect your speech. While this is possible, it is usually temporary, and there are things you can do to lessen the effects.

How can Invisalign® for teens affect speech?

The clear aligners used in the treatment fit snugly over the mouth. When you speak, your tongue bounces off your teeth and other structures in your mouth. Having a foreign body over your teeth, even when it fits as closely as the Invisalign® trays, can change the way your tongue hits the teeth and have an effect on your speech, at least for a little while.

Slurring

Invisalign® can slightly restrict the movement of your tongue, causing you to slur your words. To put it another way, your speech may become less distinct when you first put the aligners in until you have a chance to adjust. Other people may have difficulty understanding you during the first few days.

Lisping

Different consonant and vowel sounds have different names that describe how they are made. A fricative is a consonant sound that is produced by placing two of the articulators, such as the lips, tongue, or teeth, together and forcing air through the narrow channel it forms. Sibilant fricatives are formed by placing the tongue toward the teeth, increasing the pitch and amplitude of the resulting sound. A lisp results from a misarticulation of sibilant fricatives. Since clear aligners get between your teeth and your tongue, you can understand how they might affect the pronunciation of sibilant fricatives such as the s, z, sh, and th sounds.

What can you do to correct the speech impediment?

Fortunately, changes to your speech due to Invisalign® for teens should be temporary and resolve on their own within a few days. There are things you can do to improve your speech more quickly.

1. Enunciate each word

Concentrate on pronouncing each word as clearly and deliberately as possible, especially those that contain sounds that are giving you trouble. This helps make your words clearer so that other people can understand them.

2. Practice reading aloud

When you do not have to think about what you are going to say, it can be easier to pay attention to how you are saying it. It may help to resolve your speech if you practice by reading something out loud. For example, reading homework out loud gives you the chance to practice while doing the assignment that you have to do anyway. You could also choose a novel or poem that you enjoy. If you feel comfortable reading aloud to someone else, you can ask someone to listen, or you can read out loud to yourself.

3. Keep talking

If you feel self-conscious about changes to your speech, you may want to talk less often. However, it is the practice you get from conversation that helps you get over the impediment more quickly.