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Can missing teeth affect your speech?
I am a 41-year-old male. I lost my front teeth in an accident and now I think I speak differently. Can missing teeth affect your speech?
6 Answers
Most definitely. You should get some implants to help correct this issue
Yes, it can impact intelligibility
Yes missing teeth can impact your speech because certain sounds are interdental sounds that involve the tongue connecting behind the teeth to produce the sound. You can consider getting partial dentures or consulting a dentist on how to replace the newly missing teeth and then see a speech language pathologist to work on articulation exercises
Yes, your teeth help you to produce sounds like /s/, /z/, /f/, /v/, "sh", etc.
Yes, missing teeth can impact your speech production. However, you do not need all of your teeth to produce all of the English sounds appropriately. Contact a speech pathologist for strategies and suggestions to help!
Ali Matisse, MS CCC-SLP
Missing teeth can absolutely affect your speech. If they are in front, it can also affect your self esteem and how others view you.