How To Get Used to Speaking With Dentures

If you’ve received new dentures from a dental clinic in Winnipeg, the staff there will provide you with detailed instructions about how to get used to them, how to eat with them, how to clean them, what to watch for along your gums, and when to come back to see a dentist near you for a follow-up appointment. 

Whether or not your dentist mentions it, be aware that getting used to speaking while getting used to wearing dentures near you can also be a challenge. Dentures are supported by a physical structure that has a different shape and volume than your own mouth. The changes to the shape and volume of the inside of your mouth will affect the way you speak and may temporarily cause slurring and lisping sounds. 

Those speech changes are temporary. No dentist can guarantee that “temporary” period will disappear by any particular date, but most people find that you’ll be able to speak normally within a matter of weeks. By that time, the many muscles and tissues involved in speaking will have re-learned to produce sounds while speaking with dentures. 

Here are a few tips to follow to shorten that period and get speaking clearly and persuasively as soon as possible — even with dentures. 

Keep talking. You may be tempted while getting used to wearing dentures in Winnipeg to keep quiet because of the changes to the way you sound. It’s natural to feel that way. After all, it might feel embarrassing to speak with a lisp. Staying quiet would be counterproductive, though. Against all your instincts, do just the opposite. Instead of staying quiet, get chatty. If you don’t want to show off your lisp, talk to yourself in the shower or while walking the dog. Talk to your plants or read aloud to yourself while you’re relaxing. You may even find it helpful to talk while looking in the mirror to notice whether the shape of your mouth has changed while you speak with dentures so you can make any adjustments necessary to sound as clear as ever.

Try speaking at different volumes. When you’re practicing talking, don’t forget to practice all the ways that you speak. Practice whispering, talking normally, using your “outside” voice, using your “you’re-in-trouble” voice, shouting, laughing and even singing. (The shower may be the perfect place for the singing practice.) The last thing that you want to do is get used to speaking in your “home with family” voice but sound or feel unclear and conspicuous when you put your “professional” voice on at work. 

Don’t settle for loose dentures. One of the biggest culprits behind difficulty speaking while wearing dentures and getting used to new dentures is loose-fitting dentures. In a perfect world, your dentures will fit perfectly without needing any denture adhesive, but don’t assume that is the case. If you persistently have problems speaking clearly with dentures or other symptoms of loose-fitting dentures, ask a dentist near you to recommend the best type of denture adhesive to help ensure that your dentures in Winnipeg fit properly. Experiment with locations and amounts of denture adhesive to get the secure fit that you need to be able to speak clearly and comfortably.

Get everything in order. You’ve been speaking for years without giving a moment’s consideration to the sequence of events in your mouth when you talk. While you’re getting used to wearing dentures, though, a moment’s consideration for what happens when and just before you speak might help. The more saliva that has accumulated in your mouth, the more difficult that you may find it to speak clearly. While getting used to wearing and speaking with dentures, focus on biting down and then swallowing saliva before you begin talking. Clearing away that saliva and biting down will help to “seat” your dentures in position securely and clear excess saliva away to help you to speak clearly.