How Oral Health Can Impact Speech Development

Oral health and speech development can go hand in hand, with different components of the teeth, mouth and gums all impacting how a child is able to speak and produce sounds. We’re here to introduce a few of the ways that this can occur, as well as what you can do to best look after your child’s oral health, therefore helping them to speak and communicate clearly. 

How To Best Look After Your Child’s Oral Health

Many of the factors below can be remedied when you regularly visit the dentist with your child. Language production starts around a child’s first birthday so this is when they should have their first dental appointment, then if there are any potential issues, like jaw misalignment or issues with the teeth, a dentist can identify them and help to find ways to remedy that. They can also help to notice potential issues with speech and again, provide guidance on whether or not further action needs to be taken, such as starting to work with speech therapy to help you understand speech delays. The best piece of advice we can give is to start going to the dentist after your baby’s first birthday to help identify any potential issues and begin to remedy them. 

In Which Ways Can Oral Health Affect Speech?

Oral health can affect speech in lots of different ways, from difficulty with pronunciation to enunciation issues (a lack of clarity in speech), slurring, not being able to pronounce particular sounds through to getting vocal fatigue. There are many things that can cause these different issues, but they all have something in common, which is leading to potential confidence issues and frustrations for the person affected. That’s why visiting the dentist and potentially a speech therapist is important, as speech issues aren’t something you simply have to accept. 

What Oral Health Problems Can Cause Speech Issues?

Alignment of Teeth and Jaw

Your child’s teeth can change how they are able to articulate, which is producing sounds in the right way. When the teeth or jaw aren’t currently aligned, a child can struggle with pronunciation, particularly “R” and “S” sounds. This is because it can result in the tongue or lips being in the wrong position, such as if they have overcrowded front teeth, they may not be able to pronounce the “th” sound. When children are first talking, of course they’re not familiar with it and their speech won’t be perfect, however as they begin to gain confidence and learn, their speech should gradually improve. 

The Uvula

The hanging ball in the back of the throat is called the Uvula, and when it’s inspected, it can help to provide information if your child is struggling with their speech. For example, the uvula closes off the nasal passage so that air can move and produce sounds. If this isn’t working properly, it can be really frustrating for them as they may not be able to speak clearly and be understood. 

Tongue Ties

Something else that can impact speech development to do with oral health are tongue ties. The way that the tongue moves can be impacted with a tongue tie, usually one of the first signs is an issue with feeding as a newborn which often results in them experiencing discomfort and crying a lot which signals an issue. However, this isn’t always picked up on, so it can then result in issues later down the line. Having a tongue clip later down the line isn’t very common if it’s not done as a newborn, however help from a speech therapist can assist with this. 

Lack Of Water

Another thing that can affect your child’s speech development to do with oral health is a lack of water. When a child isn’t drinking enough water, or mostly sugary drinks, it can result in a child’s voice being raspy and hoarse, which then impacts how they speak. So, making sure your child mostly drinks water and the occasional treat for a drink is important. 

Final Thoughts

Oral health can impact many different areas of our health, including speech, especially in children when their speech is developing. So, go for regular dental checkups with your dentist in Leamington Spa, Liverpool or London and if you notice anything slightly irregular, don’t be afraid to seek help from speech therapists as it can be really transformative.