Teeth and Speech

Dr. Kaufman discusses the effects of teeth on speech. Hello and welcome to a New York dental minute. I am Doctor Zev Kaufman. We all know that we use our teeth for smiling and for chewing. But did you know that our teeth are a critical part of our speech? The position of our front teeth affects our speech, and how we pronounce certain sounds. Dentists use these sounds to recover the proper position of our front teeth if you lose them and need replacement. The anterior/posterior, or front to back, position of the front teeth is checked with the “F” and “V” sounds. Regardless of the type of prosthesis, be it a removable denture, implant retained bridge, crowns, or veneers… if the teeth are correctly positioned we should be able to clearly say “fifty-five”. Our lower lip should touch lightly against the edges of our upper teeth. If you need to reach too far forward with your lower lip, the teeth are positioned too far. If you need to bring your lip inwards (like this), the teeth are positioned too far in. The length of our teeth or the “up/down” position is determined by the “S” sounds. If it is correct, you should be able to clearly say “sixty-six” or count backwards from “sixty-nine to sixty”. If you are shushing, the space between your upper and lower teeth is too large, and if you are whistling, “sssss”, the space is too tight. In short, if your teeth are positioned correctly, you should be able to say “fifty-five and sixty-six” without any effort. So now, you know... From Prosthodontics & Implant Surgery of Manhattan, where people come in with missing teeth and leave with winning smiles, I am Doctor Zev Kaufman.