What changes in speech patterns can wearing Invisalign clear braces cause?

Any type of dental appliance that you wear has the potential to produce an affect on the way that you speak. Usually it has to do with the thickness of the appliance and how this thickness alters the interaction between the tongue and the backside of their upper front teeth or palate. Due to the fact that Invisalign aligners are constructed out of a very thin plastic, in most cases their effect on a person's speech will be minimal to non-existent. For some however, the effect their aligners has on the way that they talk can be a nuisance, as well as a tip-off to others that they are wearing invisible braces.

Almost all Invisalign patients will notice some change in the way they talk.

Any thickness that is introduced into the mouth that alters the tongue's contact with teeth and the anterior hard palate can alter a person's ability to speak clearly. Almost all Invisalign patients will notice some awkwardness with speaking when then they put their first Invisalign aligners into place. Possibly they will notice a lisp or a slur has suddenly been incorporated into the way that they speak. These problems are most common when trying to pronounce words that contain "s" and "th" sounds.

For most patients, adapting to speaking when their removable braces are in place will be quick and easy.

If you notice changes with your speech patterns when your Invisalign aligners are in place, it is likely that other people will notice this change too. You may even have some people ask if you have had some dental work done recently.

In these cases, the real question then becomes how quickly can you adapt and overcome your Invisalign-induced speaking difficulty. For the majority of patient's this adaptation and return to the norm will occur quite rapidly. Usually the only remedy that is needed is for the person to put a little extra effort into enunciating their words. In most cases after just a short amount of time, possibly a few hours or a day, doing so will become second nature and their manner of talking will return to normal.

For others the learning curve need to remedy their slur or lisp may require a longer length of time and/or more effort. The best remedy simply involves more practice. Rehearse your speaking by reading aloud to yourself or staying in extended conversation with a sympathetic friend. Eventually the way you talk will return to normal.

You may always feel that your Invisalign lisp is still there.

It is somewhat commonplace to hear some invisible braces patients state that they never really have felt that they have overcome their Invisalign-induced slur. This may be true but it may also be true only to an extent that they can detect it. In some cases it simply reflects a state of being overly self-conscience. What we think is not always reality. Ask a friend that you trust about the way that you talk when your aligners are in place and believe them. In most cases, speech problems due to wearing clear braces should not be a significant or long-lasting problem.

Reoccurring speech problems caused by Invisalign aligners should be minimal.

Some patients do state that they notice that if they don't wear their aligners for an extended period of time that it takes them a few minutes to get used to them and get their speaking abilities back to normal. But other than this inconvenience you should have few long-term problems. You should find that since each sequential set of Invisalign aligners is very similar in overall shape and thickness to the previous one, the speech effects that you experience when advancing from one set to the next should be essentially nonexistent.