Your teeth are crucial in allowing you to form and to correctly enunciate words. Speech is extremely complex and we use our teeth, lips, tongue and vocal cords to make phonetic sounds. Some sounds such as vowels are formed without using teeth or lips, but many sounds rely solely on the contact between your lips and teeth or your tongue and your teeth. To understand a little better, try making the “TH” sound and you will notice your tongue must make contact with your upper teeth. If you want to make a “V” or “F” sound, then your teeth will contact your lower lips.

When some of your teeth are missing or are out of alignment it can cause speech impediments, or it may even sound as if you are slurring your words. To complicate matters further, people who struggle to form words and who are embarrassed about the appearance of their teeth may conceal their mouth or will try to talk while keeping their mouth partially closed. If you repeatedly try to talk with your mouth partially shut, your facial muscles will adjust to this form of speaking and it can even affect your speech patterns.

With the right dental treatment, it’s possible to restore or realign teeth, allowing you to express yourself openly and without affecting your facial muscles or trying to cover your mouth.