Lisps are by far one of the most common speech disorders. A hallmark sign of a lisp is the fact that words are not being pronounced clearly and sound incorrect. It can be difficult to live with this condition. You might have been looking for treatment and ask “can orthodontics correct speech problems?” Doubly so for adults who suddenly find themselves having speech problems and unable to speak as clearly as they once were. You may be curious in regards to what causes a lisp in adults and it is easy to understand why.

The simple answer is that a wide variety of conditions can have an effect on one’s speech patterns and lead to difficulties speaking. When it comes to lisps, in particular, the most common cause is tongue placement. It adult-onset lisps it seems as though, more often than not, the tongue simply is not positioned correctly within the mouth. This is known to obstruct airflow, causing sounds to be contorted when the person articulates their thoughts.

Professionals tend to differentiate between four unique styles of lisps. They are known as dental, palatal, frontal, and lateral. Each unique lisps has its own cause. The thing that they all have in common though is the fact that the tongue is not situated correctly within the mouth. The most common type of lisp, a frontal lisp, is characterized by the fact that the tongue jets out from between the front teeth causing obstruction of airflow.

Another cause of lisps in adults to consider is tongue ties. Tongue ties are typically dealt with while in infancy, but that is not always the case. A tongue-tie occurs when the skin that is found immediately beneath the tongue fuses it to the bottom of the mouth. It can be quite painful due to the fact that it restricts the movement of the tongue. You will also find that particular sounds will be almost impossible to make.

Lisps are often developmental in nature. This means that most people grow out of them during their early childhood years. This is not always the case though as a lisp can develop at any time. If you find that you have suddenly developed a lisp as an adult it is important that you consider getting it checked out by a medical professional.