Speech problems at 2 weeks or beyond

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#1 Post by **triggerhart** » Fri May 21, 2010 1:13 pm

Has anyone else still had significant speech problems at this stage? I don't just mean a lisp. I'm thinking more of substantial difficulty saying lots of regular words and phrases. I can just about get by at work if I can speak in fragments rather than long sentences but as soon as I have to speak for longer I have a very noticeable speech impediment which makes it difficult for people to understand me. For example I would seriously struggle to say out loud what I am typing now. B, D and L sounds are the worst.

I'm reading out loud/singing/practising speaking at every opportunity but my progress seems to have reached a plateau. If I can't get to grips with this the linguals are going to have to come off which I'm very reluctant to see happen. Other than this everything else with my brace is fine. My tongue has recovered from the initial soreness and the brace feels 'normal'. I'm so disappointed that I can't seem to get my speech to a level at which people can consistently understand what I am saying. Has anyone got any words of wisdom for me?

Thanks

#2 Post by **Ruby Tuesday** » Fri May 21, 2010 4:07 pm

No, you're not the only one. Lots of people here seem to have no or few problems, but I think it must depend on the shape and size of your mouth as well. I am years into this journet and while things are just about right now, I do recall 'd' being a huge problem for a long while.

Please don't feel like you're lagging behind or not coping just because others don't seem to experience those problems. It really will get better with time. I think it is a good idea to drink lots of water, get lots of sleep and allow your mouth to rest and heal.

Take care.

#3 Post by **triggerhart** » Sat May 22, 2010 1:07 am

Thanks Ruby. Did it affect you at work? That's my big concern at the moment.

#4 Post by **Ruby Tuesday** » Sat May 22, 2010 2:52 am

Yes, it effected me very much at work, and I do speak for my living..

I have felt reluctant to say too much on these boards because I don't want to sound negative or any thing.. A few years back, it was really not the done thing to voice any 'negatives' on here, and I found it really distressing that I wasn't reading anything but rosy, glowing reaports..

Now, don't get me wrong - I absolutely love those reports. They are the reason that I had the bottle to go through with the process, and although I knew there would be hard times, they were the reason that I had the confidence to go on. So I thank those people for their positive reports.

However, it is definately not all roses in lingual-land, and it does indeed take more than a week or two for things to get back to normal.

Anyhow, please do take heart, you have already come so far, the only way is forward. I guess I have a small mouth and my speech is certainly not perfect, even after 4 years. Most people would definately not notice it at all, but sometimes I still have to repeat myself..

Take care and one thing I am sure of is that you have already faced your biggest hurdles..

#5 Post by **triggerhart** » Sat May 22, 2010 4:35 am

Thanks so much for your honesty. Its exactly what I needed to hear instead of feeling that I was some sort of freak. Are you still wearing linguals now?

Work has been a nightmare to be honest. I've had to tell everyone even people I deal with only by phone (who would remained blissfully unaware if I had a traditional brace). I feel like I've wasted a lot of extra money on linguals for absolutely no benefit and wish I had just swallowed my pride at the start and gone for ceramics.

I have a Board meeting next week and I'm really not sure if I can cope with tripping over the simplest of phrases in front of the big bosses. As well as that I have some serious negotiations to do at a meeting on Wednesday and being unable to articulate my arguments quickly and coherently is not exactly going to help.

For people whose speech adapts quickly I can see that linguals are brilliant inventions. However in my case, largely because of the importance of clear and persuasive oral communication in my work, it's been a disaster. I agree there is very little anywhere on the net about significant speech problems with linguals. I was totally unprepared for the level of difficulty I have encountered.

Thanks so much for your encouragement and for taking the time to reply. It means a lot right now!

Best wishes to you and I hope that other than the speech problems your treatment has gone well.

#6 Post by LB » Sat May 22, 2010 8:17 am

Hi there. I've found that my speech with linguals can vary depending on what wires are being used. I adapted pretty well after a few weeks, but then 2 months after having the braces I had a wire change in my lower arch and suddenly I was slurring my words quite noticeably. I considered having the lower linguals removed and having ceramics instead. However, as soon as the bottom wire was changed again, my speech was back to ok.

I too have to speak a lot for work, give presentations etc. I had to really work on the pace of my speech, as there are some words I struggle with - G's are a problem for me and sometimes even now I'll have times when my speech is affected if I'm tired or my mouth is dry from speaking a lot.

I'd encourage you to give it a bit longer to see if a wire change improves things. Also, can you tell whether the lowers or uppers are causing you more problems - or both? If it's just the lowers (as it was for me), you could consider just changing those if it really doesn't get better.

Good luck. I know how difficult and frustrating it can be and I hope things get better for you.

#7 Post by **triggerhart** » Sat May 22, 2010 9:53 am

Thanks LB. I only have uppers. You're totally right that tiredness and dryness of mouth can have a big impact. It's quite scary to think I might get to grips with this only to be set back with a wire change though.

I really admire you for pressing on doing presentations etc - have you got any particular tips or exercises which helped you? I don't mind sounding different to my usual speech - I just don't want to sound so obviously abnormal.

Thanks again for your words of encouragement - it is much appreciated.

#8 Post by LB » Sat May 22, 2010 10:28 pm

The advice I'd offer you may have heard before, but this is what helped me prior to having to speak a lot or give presentations...

Put wax on the brackets the night before. Your tongue may be used to the brackets by now and not be painful, but it still helps to give it as much rest as possible. I found that if I did put wax on overnight, my speech was always better the next day when I took it off again.

Keep your pace slow and steady. I felt as though my speech was really slow and my pronounciation very deliberate once I got braces, but I got feedback from a number of people that my pace and delivery was excellent!! I guess we assume that our normal pace of speaking is fine for delivering presentations, but to be slower and more deliberate than you would usually be is actually a very good thing and doesn't sound as weird as you may think it does!

Don't force the words that you know are a problem. That was the advice my ortho gave me when I first got the braces fitted, and he was right. When I'm really conscious of a word that I know I'm going to have problems with ('management' used to be a killer for me) I mess it up, whereas if I'm more relaxed about how it is going to come out it tends to be much better. I think it must be something about tensing up when trying to say problem words or sounds, rather than just relaxing into it.

Talk as much as you can. You know this already, but the more you practice, the better. You may not feel you're getting any better, but keep speaking and try not to get disheartened.

Make sure you have a bottle of water when you're speaking a lot. Just keep drinking to stop your mouth getting dry.

And remember, you always sound worse to yourself than you do to other people. They may be able to hear some differences in your speech, but something I realised very quickly after getting braces is that people really don't give it that much thought or care a great deal!! I know that on occasions my speech does sometimes slip a bit if I'm tired or have been speaking a lot, but I've had the braces on for about 16 months now and I just don't care anymore. I feel like it's part of my normal speech now that I'll occasionally lisp or pronounce the odd 'g' a bit strangely.

I really hope it gets better for you soon and you can start to reap the benefits of wearing lingual braces. I just love the fact that my teeth are straightening out and I don't have to feel self conscious about obviously having braces on my teeth. Let us know how you get on, I hope it gets easier for you soon

#9 Post by **triggerhart** » Sun May 23, 2010 1:13 am

Thanks LB - I'll definitely try to slow down. I have found my speech is much worse when I talk quickly (usually when I'm trying to emphasise a point).

I'll let you know how it goes.

Best wishes