If you’re thinking about straightening your teeth with ClearCorrect, you’re probably wondering how it will affect your day-to-day life. In most ways, it won’t. You’ll still be able to eat whatever you want, take care of your smile, and take selfies without a care. However, there is one way these clear aligners might affect you: speech. Continue reading to learn what to expect from your clear aligner treatment and if your conversations will suffer.
How Does ClearCorrect Work?
Like traditional braces, ClearCorrect gently moves your teeth from their current position to a more desirable one. However, instead of using brackets and wires to achieve the necessary pressure, clear aligners rely on transparent plastic trays that are custom molded to push and pull against specific teeth.
While these aligners aren’t visible, they can still be felt, which is what may create some issues with your ability to talk.
How Does ClearCorrect Affect Speech?
Speech patterns are about muscle memory, and when your tongue or lip placement is thrown off, even a little bit, it can cause problems. This is why, when you first put in your aligners, you may notice a slight difference in how you talk. Some people experience a mild lisp or feel like their words aren’t coming out quite right. Don’t worry, this is totally normal!
Your mouth is adjusting to the feel of the plastic, and it might take a few days to get used to it. Thankfully, most patients say the change is minor and fades quickly as you adapt.
Can You Speed Up Speech Recovery?
No one likes hearing their words slosh or slur together. If you want to get back to sounding like yourself as quickly as possible, here are a few tips:
- Practice reading out loud. It helps retrain your tongue and speeds up the adjustment period.
- Talk more. The more you speak with your aligners in, the faster your brain and mouth adapt to the new “obstacle.”
- Stay consistent. Don’t remove your aligners to talk. This will slow down the adjustment process and ultimately your entire treatment plan!
In most cases, your speech should be back to normal within a week or two, so stay the course and keep chatting.
If you’re still having trouble speaking clearly after a few weeks, it’s worth checking in with your dentist. A small adjustment or refinement may be all that’s needed to bring your words back to normal. Then, you can enjoy the freedom of ClearCorrect without the impediments and stay on track to achieve your new smile.
About the Practice
At Newton Corner Dental Care, Dr. Gretchen Anjomi and Dr. Drew Davis are your talented dental care professionals. Our team works together to provide beautiful results for your smile with a variety of treatments from ClearCorrect aligners to veneers to dental implants. Whatever your goals for your smile may be, we can help you reach them. Call (617) 332-6232 to schedule a ClearCorrect consultation with us or visit our website to explore more about clear aligners.
