Lisp

A lisp is a speech impediment in which a person misarticulates sibilants (, , , ), (, , , ). These misarticulations often result in unclear speech. A lisp is a speech impediment in which a person misarticulates sibilants (, , , ), (, , , ). These misarticulations often result in unclear speech. Successful treatments have shown that causes are functional rather than physical: that is, most lisps are caused by errors in tongue placement or fatness of tongue within the mouth rather than caused by any injury or congenital deformity to the mouth. The most frequently discussed of these problems is tongue thrust in which the tongue protrudes beyond the front teeth.This protrusion affects speech as well as swallowing and can lead to lisping. Ankyloglossia or tongue tie can also be responsible for lisps in children – however, it is unclear whether these deficiencies are caused by the tongue tie itself or the muscle weakness following the correction of the tongue tie. Overbites and underbites may also contribute to non lingual lisping. Temporary lisps can be caused by dental work, dental appliances such as dentures or retainers or by swollen or bruised tongues. Lisps caused by tongue tie can be treated by a dentist with a frenectomy, or laser incision, which takes less than 10 to 15 minutes to complete. With an interdental lisp, the therapist teaches the child how to keep the tongue behind the two front incisors.