You might not realize how much teeth affect kids’ speech development. They play a big role in how children form words and sounds. Without teeth, talking and eating become a real challenge for them. It’s pretty surprising, but teeth even impact their voice and language skills.
We’re excited to share expert insights into child dental care with the help of our community partner, Kids Mile High. It is one of the best pediatric dentistry in Englewood.
Articulation and Language Production
Teeth play a huge role in our ability to articulate sounds properly. For instance, kids in school might be working on perfecting their ‘R’ and ‘S’ sounds during articulation therapy sessions.
Around their first birthday, children begin to string sounds together and communicate through expressive language. It’s an exciting milestone! At this stage, they also start to learn how they’re positioning their tongue and lips to make specific sounds. With practice and growing familiarity with vocalization and mouth movement, their sound production gradually improves.
How Teeth Development Can Impact Sound Distortion
Maintaining good oral hygiene can greatly improve a child’s ability to articulate sounds clearly. However, even with healthy teeth, some children may struggle with certain sounds due to teeth development. Among these, the ‘F’ and ‘S’ sounds are particularly affected.
- ‘F’ sound: When making the ‘F’ sound, we use our top teeth against our bottom lip. Without these teeth, children can face challenges in producing this sound effectively.
- ‘S’ sound: The ‘S’ sound is heavily influenced by teeth development. If the front teeth are missing, the tongue may protrude, leading to a frontal lisp. It’s like when saying “Sally,” the tongue comes out, requiring the child to relearn the motor plan to produce the sound accurately.
How Improper Jaw Structure Can Affect Speech
Another dental problem that can affect speech development in the child’s stage is improper jaw structure. If your child’s jaw is too small, the problem can be seen in overcrowding of the teeth. When the teeth are crowded in a restricted area, the tongue is not able to perform its normal movements.
As you’re aware, the tongue and teeth collaborate to produce sounds. When the tongue lacks sufficient space to maneuver, it can affect speech clarity. This underscores the importance of promoting healthy teeth development in your child.
Malocclusion Cause Enunciation Problems
Malocclusion, or misalignment of the teeth, is another dental issue that might damage children’s ability to communicate verbally. When the mouth is closed, the teeth in this condition don’t line up correctly. An open bite, for example, is the result of misaligned front teeth that expose a space between the two sets of teeth.
Because their teeth are more widely spaced out when a youngster has an open bite, they may have difficulty pronouncing certain sounds.
FINAL WORD
Teeth and gum health play a crucial role in how well children speak. If their teeth aren’t growing correctly, they might find it hard to say certain words clearly. While many think speech is all about the tongue, it’s a team effort involving the tongue, teeth, and lips. Dental issues can often affect speech, so getting them sorted early could make a big difference.
