It’s not unusual for a youngster to have a lisp, which is a speech impediment that makes it difficult to correctly produce the “s” and “z” sounds. Having a lisp can make a child feel self-conscious and promote teasing from his or her peers. There are four categories of lisps. One of those four is a dental lisp, and it can cause negative dental outcomes. Children with a dental lisp should be assessed by a pediatric dentist.
At the office of Perry L. Jeffries, DDS and Associates, PA, we are committed to helping your child enjoy good oral health. Our team of professionals provides the highest quality care to prevent, detect and treat a wide variety of dental conditions.
Dental lisps are the product of malocclusion, which is misaligned bites due to teeth that are crooked or incorrectly spaced. A pediatric dentist (pedodontist) will inspect the positioning of the teeth, and the size and shape of the palate and bite.
The most common alignment problems that cause lisps are:
Overbite:The upper front teeth excessively overlap the bottom front teeth when back teeth are closed. Also called a closed bite or deep bite.
Open bite:When the jaws are closed, the upper jaw’s teeth don’t contact properly with the lower jaw’s teeth. With an anterior open bite, the front teeth don’t touch when the back teeth are closed together. With a posterior open bite, the back teeth don’t touch when the front teeth are closed together.
Too much overjet: The upper teeth jut out and sit over the bottom teeth. In addition to lisps, it causes biting, drinking, chewing and aesthetic problems.
Diastema: It’s the “fancy term” for one of more gaps between teeth. They can occur anywhere, it’s usually between the two upper front teeth. The fancy term for that is midline diastema.
Perry L. Jeffries, DDS and Associates, PA would be happy to evaluate your child’s lisp and overall oral health. We provide the ultimate in skilled and considerate pediatric care. For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us today for an appointment. We look forward to finding out how we can help your child.
By Perry L. Jeffries, DDS and Associates, PA
August 18, 2022
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