hockeylover wrote:Hello- I am on Day 5 of my Lingual Braces experience. (only got uppers) I still can't talk right and I am very discouraged! please help!! I have a terrible lisp. I read to put some wax inbetween my brackets and tounge to make a smooth surface and it helps a little. How long will it take to sound normal!!?? My teeth are def less tender today. Im still on a soup diet. IS there anyoen out there who can give me some details on how long this will take to sound more normal?
I suggest you start eating something more substantial than soup. I know it's hurting you now, but you'll be doing yourself a favour by giving your teeth more of a workout, not to mention the benefit to your overall health.
As far as speech is concerned, keep practising talking. This is the best way to improve your speech. Read the Rainbow Passage (it's somewhere on this board) aloud. Sing in the shower. Whatever it takes.
I found wax to be my best friend during the first 2 weeks and I used it liberally to form a barrier between the braces and my tongue. By the end of a fortnight, my tongue had toughened up and - guess what? - my speech had improved significantly as well. I think our speech suffers when our tongues are sore, so take heart that your tongue won't hurt for long. Also try warm salt water rinses to give you relief (one tspn to a tall tumbler of warm water).
Good luck.