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I was wondering about this a lot. Probably like many of you I lived decades with ugly teeth and developed strong habits of not showing them at all. For example when I laugh I tend to pull the lower lips over the lower teeth and hence moving my lower jaw backwards. It is a very strong habit! Now my lowers look normal and I don't have a problem showing them (even with the brace) but I simply cannot manage to change this habit. Soon (hopefully in 1-2 months) my uppers will look normal as well which means another habit will stick: I always laugh with my hand in front of my mouth!
Do have these habits as well? Did you change them? When, how?
Another "thing" is the speech. For all my adult life I had an upper incisor something like in the middle of my palate (double parked) which made me lisp. This lisp is my "speech by default", this is how I sound. I am used to pronunce "S" somehow with the middle part of my tongue instead of its tip (does this make any sense?). Now the incisor is basically gone (click www for a pic) and technically I am able now to pronunce a much more clear and stable "S" (despite the gap which I still have) but I just cannot do it! I still speak as if the incisor is still blocking my tongue. It drives me nuts. I recorded my voice and heard the difference but when I speak without thinking about it I relapse to my habit.
Any ideas?? I thought my speech would improve gradually as all the obstacles are removed slowly from the movement path of my tongue but nothing happens. I don't seem to speak differently. On the opposite it sounds worse because I try to counteract the brace as well ("F"s sound pretty bad, I think I can drive a dog crazy with this high pitched whistle noise lol).
How are your speech and smile habits changing? When did it start? Did it EVER happen?
When I'm not thinking about it, I sometimes revert to my old smile where I tried to hide my teeth. When I'm really happy, however, I give a huge smile. We're human and tend to be set in our ways. Change is difficult sometimes.
As far as speaking goes, I tend to have a heard time with slurring. My brain tends to go faster than my mouth can keep up, so I get ahead of myself. I also have problems with those fricken <b>F's</b>! Spit tends to fly with them, too!
Braced: Jan. 17, 2006
Removed: Oct. 26, 2006
Fixed bottom retainer
Clear Essix Retainer on top
I find that I am smiling much wider now because of the way the brackets are placed on my top teeth. (Only have braces on the top right now.) It's like if I smile the way I always have (barely showing any teeth) the brackets are right where my upper lip used to come up to, so I find myself lifting that lip up farther to get it up high enough to not sit right on the brackets. I'm sure I look like a moron half the time, and my son has asked me recently why my smile looks so funny now. I've done it the mirror a bunch and it does look very unnatural.
But ironically, it doesn't bother me at all to show more of my top teeth since I've gotten the braces. The teeth haven't really moved very much and my midline is still just as off as it ever was, but I guess just the fact that I know I'm improving my smile makes me not as self-conscious about people seeing my teeth.
But I do wonder what will happen when I get the bottom braces on... Will I open up the lower lip more because it sits right on the brackets? I will probably really look manic then. lol.
I'm also getting ready to have extractions, so I am wondering how I will smile when I'm worried about gaps.
I find that I am smiling much wider now because of the way the brackets are placed on my top teeth. (Only have braces on the top right now.) It's like if I smile the way I always have (barely showing any teeth) the brackets are right where my upper lip used to come up to, so I find myself lifting that lip up farther to get it up high enough to not sit right on the brackets. I'm sure I look like a moron half the time, and my son has asked me recently why my smile looks so funny now. I've done it the mirror a bunch and it does look very unnatural.
But ironically, it doesn't bother me at all to show more of my top teeth since I've gotten the braces. The teeth haven't really moved very much and my midline is still just as off as it ever was, but I guess just the fact that I know I'm improving my smile makes me not as self-conscious about people seeing my teeth.
But I do wonder what will happen when I get the bottom braces on... Will I open up the lower lip more because it sits right on the brackets? I will probably really look manic then. lol.
I'm also getting ready to have extractions, so I am wondering how I will smile when I'm worried about gaps.
Hi butterfly! This is my second day with braces, top and bottom, and already I have noticed that my smile is broader and tension free. I believe it's because now I have actually taken steps to improve my smile, for the world to see, that I don't have a problem with showing my "brace-smile". It felt natural when I did it, but then a little strange afterwards as I'm not used to smiling an open-lipped smile. Before braces, I was always smiling close-lipped or covering my mouth with my hand when I laughed. My teeth are still crooked, nothing has changed in 2 days, so it must be a psychological thing. I also find, ever since I had my spacers in, that I am speaking more clearly than before.
"The mystery of teeth" as linda21 says........
35 yr-old mother of 2
Braced 5/4/06
Ceramic Uppers
Metal Lowers
I keep my head down while I'm talking and turn away from people a lot more than I did before braces (ah, the irony, I'm finally able to fix my teeth, but I'm embarassed about the fact that I'm visibly acknowledging how bad my teeth are).
When I was a kid I had a lisp where I didn't close my mouth all the way when saying ch, th, and sh sounds. It wasn't so much audible as it was visible, and I went to speech therapy for about a year for it. I've kind of reverted back to that was of speaking with braces (especially after getting my teeth pulled, that took a lot of speaking practice), but it gets better whenever I get used to whatever changes my mouth has gone through.
Braced on 17 Feb. 2006.
Five teeth extracted on March 9, 2006.
Canine exposure: February 7, 2007
lefort 3 March 7, 2008
TPA April 22, 2008
2 years 7 months in braces
braces off September 17, 2008
I can't imagine how I will smile and talk when I get my 4 teeth removed (which should be in a couple of weeks). Ugh.
I have an open bite, and have to use my tongue to make 'S' sounds and whatever. Since my braces push my lips away from my teeth and each other, I have a hard time enunciating clearly when I am tired, and I can't seem to work my mouth and tongue muscles enough.
I'm hoping after the teeth are pulled and my open bite is closed more it will be easier.
