talking with linguals

[melissa]

So on Wednesday it will be three weeks since I've had my upper linguals applied, and Im getting a little discouraged. Most of the pain has gone away, its easier to eat, and my tongue is okay...but talking is still an issue. It seems like its impossible to talk normally; I have to consciously think about how to form and move my tongue and which words to use and it still seems like I have a bit of a lisp. I hate having to worry about talking, especially words with s's. I dont feel like myself much because Im so catious about talking. Some occasions I sound fine but then others I think I sound horrible. Im willing to wait it out if its supposed to get better, but I'm worried it wont and that I'll feel this way for the next year. Some people say it took them a few days, others a few weeks so Im hoping I'll notice a difference soon .

[coconut]

Have courage, it does get better. From personal experience (I had linguals on my top arch), I had to work at pronouncing the s's all the time, and the less hydrated I was, the worse the lisp. So it's good to drink plenty of water.

I wouldn't be reticent about talking. I found that practice certainly made a considerable improvement, if not perfect. The other thing is that you probably notice a lisp more than others do.

[lu lu]

I know how you're feeling although I'm a couple of weeks behind you. I had mine fitted last week. Uppers only.
My speech has defo been affected. I sound better than I did but I don't sound like myself & it's an effort to sound 'normal'. I'm not sure if I would say I sound like I have a lisp. Some words I do but when I manage to speak at my best I sound like I have a brace if that makes sense. I sound like I have something in my mouth. I struggle mid convo & seem to lisp or stumble on words.
I'm only on 6 days so i'm hoping it will get much better but I don't think i'll ever sound like my normal self again.
Sometimes when I speak I do sound normal but it doesn't stick around, just the odd sentence sounds normal.
I really hope it all comes naturally & I sound normal again. Otherwise it's going to be a long old 2 years for me.

Let me know how you get on Melissa :-) xx

[melissa]

thanks for the support, it really helps since no one i know personally has had linguals or braces for that fact at my age =)
and i think its taking this long because I avoided talking so much. i mostly just sat trough classes and said a few words to my roommates the first week or so.
i think i actually sound better today since im home for thanksgiving break and have been with my family all day. doesnt feel completely natural though yet.
thanks again!

[lu lu]

i've sent you a pm :-) x

[Rynne]

I got upper and lower linguals put on a week ago today and am also frustrated with the way I sound. My teeth were ok and most people don't know why I got them in the first place. I was a little self conscious about my teeth before, but now I'm so afraid at how unprofessional I sound. I look young which is one of the reasons I got linguals and now I may not look younger, but I sound like a child. And since no one can see them they just think that it's how I speak.

[ugliibracesgirl]

I'm in kind of a similiar situation. I have traditional metal braces, but I have exposed eye teeth just hanging out in the roof of my mouth, waiting to be brought down into place (when, i have no idea). They really get in the way when I try to talk, and I've also become very conscious of how I form words to the point where I try to plan out what I'm going to say, to avoid any unneeded screwups. I've been like this since July '09, when I had the teeth exposed, so it can get really frustrating. I hope things are getting easier for you, Melissa!

[maxhammer]

I've had them on just over a week, and I'm pretty much fine except for the s's. Unless you're in a profession where public speaking is a big deal I wouldn't worry about it. Eating is the hard part.

This goes for the low profile, in-ovation braces; I'm not sure about other manufacturers.

[catherine]

i got linguals in on the top and the bottom too four days ago. and i'm so self-conscious about the way i speak. the staff informed me that speaking will gradually get better but it seems that most people are still having trouble speaking after a few months. i was wondering - since your ticker says it's been four months 2 weeks and 2 days, has your speaking improved much? do you still feel self-conscious when you speak?

[melissa]

It took me a few months but I think its definitely gotten better and easier. Occasionally I'll feel that I have slip ups where I sound different or lisp a few words, but I really don't think anyone notices. Most of the time I sound the best when Im not thinking about it when I talk. The only big problem I have is when I have to talk in front of the class (Im in college) during a presentation or something. I get pretty nervous and my voice usually gets pretty shaky anyway so I think that's when its the worst

[HollyScot]

I've had my lower linguals for about a month now and, with only the lowers, had no problems with speech at all. However I got uppers 7 days ago and my speech is definitely impacted. I sound very lispy, especially when I'm dehydrated or tired. Following advice from this forum, I'm trying to speak as much as possible in the hope that practice will improve things. Lots of people don't notice but those who know me well can tell something is different. When I get really self conscious about it, I just tell people that I've got new braces and they completely understand. I'm hoping that I'll be back to normal speech (or as close as possible) in a couple of weeks as I know it's early days!

[j100]

I had uppers attached 3 days ago (but only on 6 front teeth), I had a lisp on the first day that my friends noticed but it's gone now. My dentist advised me to read out loud to practice saying different words, but I just found having a few drinks works like a treat as it relaxes your tongue, you completely forget about it and you speak completely normally. A lot of the lisp comes from you worrying about it, it's self-perpetuating in that way. If you've had a bit drink, then you forget about speech issues so you tongue relearns the words naturally as you aren't stressing about it. Not sure if this is an orthodox solution but if it is age-appropriate then it certainly worked for me.

[dustinn]

So on Wednesday it will be three weeks since I've had my upper linguals applied, and Im getting a little discouraged. Most of the pain has gone away, its easier to eat, and my tongue is okay...but talking is still an issue. It seems like its impossible to talk normally; dental mexico
I have to consciously think about how to form and move my tongue and which words to use and it still seems like I have a bit of a lisp. I hate having to worry about talking, especially words with s's. I dont feel like myself much because Im so catious about talking. Some occasions I sound fine but then others I think I sound horrible. Im willing to wait it out if its supposed to get better, but I'm worried it wont and that I'll feel this way for the next year. Some people say it took them a few days, others a few weeks so Im hoping I'll notice a difference soon .
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Drink plenty of water and try not to be too self concious!

[Brooke82]

I've had ibraces on my upper teeth for a year now, and I also had a lisp during the first month. I would just talk as much as possible and be confident! Every single day will be a little bit easier for you! Plus, you will love the end result!