Man, I totally get the thing with the R’s and S’s. After my jaw surgery, I sounded like I was doing a bad impression of myself for months. My dentist said, “You’ll adjust,” but didn’t mention the awkward phone calls where people didn’t recognize me. Speech therapy was a game changer, but patience was the real MVP. The slurring after a long day still pops up sometimes... guess it’s just part of the new normal for some of us.
I totally relate to the weirdness with your voice after jaw surgery. I remember thinking, “Is this really how I sound now?” and honestly, it took me off guard for a while. Did you notice if your speech got worse when you were tired or stressed? For me, late in the day or after talking a lot, it’s almost like my tongue forgets what to do, especially with S’s and Z’s. Sometimes I still get self-conscious if I have to talk to someone new and they look confused for a second.
I’m curious—did your surgeon or orthodontist give you any heads-up about the speech changes? Mine just mentioned swelling and numbness, but never really brought up how long it might take to sound “normal” again. I felt kind of blindsided when my friends started asking if I had a cold or something.
You mentioned speech therapy helped a lot. How long did you have to do it before you noticed a difference? I’m still debating whether it’s worth starting, since my main issue is just occasional slurring and not full-on lisping or anything. Does it help with the fatigue aspect, too, or is that just something you learn to live with?
Also, did you have any issues with eating or drinking making your speech worse? I swear, after a meal, my mouth just doesn’t cooperate for a bit. Makes me wonder if that’s common or if I’m just overthinking it.
I totally get what you mean about the “post-meal mumble mouth.” I used to joke that after jaw surgery, my mouth was like a phone on low battery—just starts glitching after too much use. I had that same thing where, by the end of the day, my S’s and TH’s would just kind of… wander off. And don’t even get me started on trying to order food at a noisy restaurant. Half the time, the server would look at me like I was speaking Parseltongue.
My surgeon definitely didn’t give me much of a warning about the speech changes either. It was all “you’ll be swollen for a bit” and “numbness is normal,” but no one mentioned that I’d sound like I was auditioning for a cartoon villain for weeks. I remember calling my mom after surgery and she legit asked if I’d caught a cold on top of everything else. It’s weirdly disorienting.
Speech therapy was honestly a game-changer for me, though. I was skeptical at first—like, do I really need to re-learn how to talk? But after maybe four or five sessions, I noticed my tongue wasn’t tripping over itself as much, even when I was tired. The therapist had me doing these wild exercises that felt super awkward (lots of exaggerated faces in the mirror), but it paid off. The biggest thing it helped with was the fatigue—my mouth just had more stamina, if that makes sense.
The eating/drinking thing is real, by the way. After anything chewy or a big meal, it’s like my mouth clocked out for a break. My therapist said it’s pretty common because your muscles are still figuring out their new “map,” especially if you had any jaw repositioning done. It gets better, but there are still days where I have to remind myself not to schedule important calls right after lunch.
If your main issue is just occasional slurring, honestly, even a couple sessions might help get things back on track. Plus, you get some good stories out of it—my therapist once had me read Dr. Seuss tongue-twisters out loud, and I nearly cried laughing at myself.
Anyway, you’re definitely not overthinking it. This stuff is way more common than anyone warns you about.
Wow, this is hitting way too close to home. I remember after my surgery, I was so freaked out by how different my voice sounded—like someone had swapped out my mouth for a knockoff version. I kept asking my partner if I sounded “normal” and he’d just kind of shrug, which did not help my anxiety at all. Did you notice if your speech ever went back to exactly how it was, or did you just get used to the new version? Mine’s mostly fine now, but sometimes when I’m tired or stressed, the slurring sneaks back in and I start panicking that something’s wrong again.
Man, I totally get what you mean about the voice thing. After my jaw surgery, I felt like I was hearing a stranger every time I talked. It’s weird how your brain just kind of adapts, though—I don’t think mine ever went 100% back to how it was, but now it’s like, whatever, this is just my voice. I still get a bit lispy when I’m super tired or stressed too. Guess it’s just part of the package now?
