One of the difficulties many of our patients at Guildford Orthodontics face when they first get their braces is trouble talking. Here are some tips to help you get used to talking while wearing braces!
There’s no need to feel embarrassed if you have a hard time speaking when your braces are first applied. This is actually a very common problem!
So don't worry; With a little patience, and by following some of these steps, you’ll be back to speaking as you always do in no time.
1. Remember: this is temporary!
Your brackets and arch wires, or invisible aligners may feel weird at first, making it difficult for your tongue and facial muscles to move as they normally do when you speak. But don’t worry, your oral structures will adjust to these new feelings soon enough.
2. Learn about speech functions
Learning about how your whole body contributes to your ability to speak is not only enlightening; it will also give you the tools you need to get back to speaking normally, faster.
3. Use Wax
Some of our patients have mentioned that using dental wax on their brackets allows them to speak more comfortably, since it provides a smoother surface, and more glide.
4. Consider self-ligating braces
On average, our patients who go for this lower profile braces option tend to have a little less trouble talking at the start of treatment.
5. Practice makes perfect!
The best thing you can do to start regaining your normal speaking abilities is to practice talking with your braces. Some good ways to do this include:
- singing
- speaking or reading aloud
- speech drills
You can also try recording yourself speaking, and listening to the recording to catch your trouble areas. And if you’re really having a hard time, practice speaking slowly and really enunciating each word carefully.