“Can missing teeth affect a person's speech?”
I am a 23 year old male. I was wondering can missing teeth affect a person's speech?
9 Answers
Missing teeth can definitely affect a person’s articulation, causing words to be pronounced incorrectly. See a good dentist and get your teeth problem solved. If the speech is still and issue, a speech pathologist would have to be seen to help correct the problem.
Yes, it can reduce the clarity
Missing teeth can cause a number of issues. Missing teeth can affect, speech, eating habits, as well as shifting of teeth causing crowding or spacing.
Yes
This is a great question and the answer is yes. Missing teeth can affect how you position your tongue also anterior missing teeth will make it difficult to get lip seal and make it harder for your tongue to position correctly, causing speech concerns. Tooth replacement is often easy to do and can protect your remaining teeth from further damage.
Dr. Joe Ferraro
Dr. Joe Ferraro
Yes
Hi,
Yes it can. Talk to a dentist or seek out a speech evaluation if you have concerns about your speech.
Ali Matisse, MS CCC-SLP
Yes it can. Talk to a dentist or seek out a speech evaluation if you have concerns about your speech.
Ali Matisse, MS CCC-SLP
Hello,
It varies from person to person and from tooth to tooth, but yes, missing teeth usually do affect someone's teeth. However, this usually gets compensated for automatically in a relatively short period of time. The amount it affects the speech depends largely on where and how many teeth are missing. When we speak 's' sounds, our teeth come together and closely touch. This is referred to as the closest speaking space and why it is critical to get right when making dentures. If there is a missing tooth, that creates a gap and allows air to escape through that area. As we say 'f' sounds, we touch our front teeth to our lower lip and force air behind them. A missing front tooth would cause a gap and allow air to escape giving a slight whistling sound. These are just a few of the different sounds that change when a tooth is missing and as mentioned earlier, it will usually be compensated for shortly.
Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
It varies from person to person and from tooth to tooth, but yes, missing teeth usually do affect someone's teeth. However, this usually gets compensated for automatically in a relatively short period of time. The amount it affects the speech depends largely on where and how many teeth are missing. When we speak 's' sounds, our teeth come together and closely touch. This is referred to as the closest speaking space and why it is critical to get right when making dentures. If there is a missing tooth, that creates a gap and allows air to escape through that area. As we say 'f' sounds, we touch our front teeth to our lower lip and force air behind them. A missing front tooth would cause a gap and allow air to escape giving a slight whistling sound. These are just a few of the different sounds that change when a tooth is missing and as mentioned earlier, it will usually be compensated for shortly.
Hope this helps.
My best to you!
William F. Scott IV, DMD
It may affect your speech, depends where the missing tooth is located. Ask your dental provider.
