Our Invisalign patients often wonder if wearing aligners will cause them to lisp. Here's a bit about how and why your Invisalign aligners might impact the way you talk when you begin your treatment.
Invisalign is not very likely to give you a lisp or speech impediment, although wearing any orthodontic appliance does create the potential to affect the way you talk.
At first when you wear your Invisalign aligners, you might notice a slight lisp but it's usually only obvious to you, is usually temporary, and can be corrected if it persists.
Adjusting to Invisalign
When you start your Invisalign treatment your mouth and tongue will need to re-learn how to make sounds while wearing your new clear aligners. This adjustment period should be very minor and only temporary.
After a few days you'll get used to wearing your aligners and any speech impediments you've experienced, due to your aligners, should go away on their own.
That said, lisps and other speech impediments can sometimes be caused by Invisalign trays that are not fitted properly to your teeth. If you think this may be the case, contact your dentist to ensure your aligners are the right fit.
Correcting a Persistent Lisp
If you've noticed that your Invisalign aligners have caused a slight lisp that isn't going away naturally, you can correct it by simply practicing the pronunciation of words with your aligners in.
It's helpful to try reading aloud to yourself or talking with family and friends to overcome a lisp and feel more comfortable in your aligners.