Do you assume you have a lisp after veneers? Say these sentences out loud and repeat them three times for a test drive:
- She sells seashells by the seashore
- Thin sticks, thick bricks
If you have mispronounced some letters even after attempting a couple of times, then this article is for you to solve the problem.
Do veneers cause a lisp? Technically no, veneers shouldn’t affect your speech, but you might have a slight lisp because you are not adapted to the new structure in your mouth, but it might go away in a short while.
There are some main reasons why you have a lisp after veneers. It might be the reason for the wrong measurements of your veneers or it could be something you’re not used to yet. Now let’s understand the issue and talk about the solutions you can have.
Why can you have a lisp after veneers?
The main reason to have a lisp after veneers are that your tongue is not adjusted to the new atmosphere. Sometimes the veneers are long and thick. Sometimes the veneer set was not modeled quite correctly; in that case, it’s not your fault, it is a miscalculation in shaping the set of veneers. The tongue works as muscle memory, when there is a bit extra layer of veneers it causes a bit of confusion trying to pronounce some words that have the letter (S, THin, or THen). After a short while, you’ll get over it eventually.
Is the lisp after veneers temporary or a problem to solve?
This argument can be tested within a short time period, having a lisp is a very common issue. You can never blame yourself for it if it’s there. It is your dentist’s job to measure your teeth and create the veneers for a nice decorated smile on your face.
It doesn’t matter whether you have porcelain veneers, ceramic veneers, or composite veneers. The issue is related to the new adjustments that you are not used to, your subconscious works without thinking of the micro-actions like tongue movement, and it acts automatically. So when talking, you unconsciously might utter in a certain way.
Your problem might be a temporary one but could be also permanent if you don’t get the right treatment. So how do we separate temporary and permanent lisp?
The lisp is a temporary problem when:
If you notice the issue is only a slight lisp, it can be solved without having to revisit the dentist.
All you need is a bit of patience to let your tongue adapt to the new structure in your mouth after the operation, the dental veneers might be a bit longer than the teeth you used to have or a bit thicker, so, try getting over the lisp within 2-3 weeks from your dental visit, read a book out loud or have fun with tongue twisters to amp it up, to be more specific, words like sixty-six or zig-zag, mainly any words that have S or TH and even Z.
Otherwise, if you feel helpless in this slippery lispy lip and tongue, then it is a problem you should look into.
The lisp is a problem when:
If you see no improvement over time with your veneers problem or see no development even a bit, the main common reason might be the thickness and length of your dental veneers, lisp should not last over a month.
Lisp is a problem if your dentist him/herself made the mistake. That will be hard for you to tell right away, and if you did, you need to revisit your dentist to address the issue or go see another more well-known orthodontist. They focus on aesthetic procedures and are commonly experienced in that field.
Do not try shaving your own dental veneers, it is the opposite of solving the issue. you will only make it worse for yourself and cost yourself a lot of extra unneeded problems. Even if dentists shave down your veneers, it is very minimal, any small mistake will lead you to have another set of veneers all over again.
What to do if you have a lisp after veneers?: solutions to this problem
This question is very common among patients, or for those who have applied veneers before.
This can go two ways, a periodic issue or an irreparable one. You need to tell your tongue, teeth, and lips to work as a team to avoid further pronounced lisp, in other words, practice speaking while sitting in front of a mirror to really focus on the fouls, it might take a while but if you pull it off you will not need to visit your dentist.
If it’s an irreparable issue, then you really have to visit your dentist or a new dental office. Visit a known orthodontist in town to avoid further slips.
If you have temporary veneers
Generally, temporary veneers are there for the protection of your teeth after shaving your teeth. Having a slight lisp when you talk is totally natural as your tongue is adapting and you don’t need to worry.
But here is an idea. Your temporary veneers and permanent ones could be exactly the same. So, maybe it could be a better idea to call your dentist and let them know about your problem so that they can prevent the discomfort when you have permanent ones.
If you have permanent veneers
If you feel like you can’t get over the lisp after permanent veneers, then you need to revisit your dentist to have your porcelain veneers readjusted by shaving bits of it to be a better fit. And hopefully, the problem can be solved. Otherwise, just go visit other more experienced dentists in town for better dental treatment.
Sometimes, if the veneers are too big, shaving is not an option. They might need to be redone. Yes, meanwhile you might want to get your veneers removed and if so these are the problems you will face:
- Veneers-less-ness: Some people might not handle the unappealing shaved natural teeth, to have your veneers redone will take a while, and being in the spot, it might feel forever.
- Temporary veneer usage: Going through the process all over again might be overwhelming, and also having to adapt with another structure in the mouth and then hope the lisp won’t pop up again.
- Mental breakdown: Not achieving the beautiful smile with no other issues, might put you in disbelief and lose trust in the dentist low-key. And the thought of giving it another shot is stressful itself. It is necessary whether you like it or not because there is no going back after having your teeth shaved.
- Time-consuming: We all wish the look we want would be achieved in a flick of a hand, maybe in a perfect world. Redoing your veneers is going to take time as it did the first time.
- You may even need to see another dentist: Maybe the third time is the charm or if you’re considering it for the first time then come and visit us then and save plenty of time and money. We won’t send you back unsatisfied. We paint beautiful smiles on our dear visitors.
References:
Seibel P. Practical Common Lisp. Springer; 2006. Accessed November 23, 2022. https://books.google.ne/books?id=dVJvr8PtCMUC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
