Patients often wonder if wearing Invisalign can cause them to lisp. Here, our dentists explain how and why your clear aligners may impact the way you talk at the beginning of treatment.
Although wearing any orthodontic appliance creates the potential to affect your speech, Invisalign is not very likely to give you a lisp or speech impediment.
When you first wear your Invisalign aligners, you may notice a slight lisp but it is typically only obvious to you, is usually temporary and, if it persists, can be corrected.
Adjusting to Invisalign
During the adjustment period, your mouth and tongue are re-learning how to make sounds while wearing your new clear aligners, but this should be very minor and only temporary.
As you get used to wearing the aligners, any speech impediments should go away on their own.
Lisps and other speech impediments may also 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 Invisalign does seem to cause a slight lisp that doesn’t go away naturally, you can correct it by simply practicing the pronunciation of words with your aligners in.
Try reading aloud to yourself or talking with family and friends to overcome a lisp and feel more comfortable in your aligners.