Sudden lisp in 75 year old

[HoHoGo]

My mum is 75, and over the past few weeks has developed a noticeable lisp. She has no history of lisping, and I wasn't sure whether to worry about it.

She has a full set of dentures and has done for years, so I don't know whether those could be causing it?

I looked online and couldn't find anything that had lisping as a symptom (she's not slurring her words or anything; nothing else unusual).

Has anyone had a lisp as the only symptom of something serious? Is it worth encouraging her to see the GP?

I’d be seeing the dentist.
Have you checked her for stroke symptoms? Can she lift both arms?

I would have her checked right away in case she's had a stroke. Strokes and TIA's can cause a lisp, and this could be a warning sign of a much more serious stroke that's on the horizon. I wouldn't wait a single day to have her seen.

No stroke symptoms - no other symptoms at all. She's generally in good health and fairly active.

I'm thinking dental as well, but I don't know.

If she had a TIA, she may not have any other symptoms.

Thanks for the replies. I'll pass them on to her and encourage her to see the GP.

Your gums do recede as you get older, so wonder if she’s had dentures a long time, she may need another set.

Has she lost any weight recently or had the dentures a long time?
FIL struggled with I’ll fitting dentures after weight loss.
I’d suggest dentist rather than GP if she wears dentures and everything else is okay with her.

It could very well be that the dentures are not fitting as well as previously. It’s worth her getting that checked out op as a first port of call. It could also possibly be caused by something affecting the facial nerve to the tongue. Lisp can sometimes be a sign of neurological conditions such as myasthenia gravis. It’s far, far more likely to be a denture issue, but it’s worth bearing in mind there could be other causes if the dentist can’t help.

Thank you. She's had the dentures for years; I've no idea how often they've been replaced (I've never heard her mention anything about getting new ones, but it's the kind of thing she might not mention if I wasn't talking to her on the day it happened.

I really can't see any sign of other symptoms; no noticeable weight loss or anything like that.

This.

I saw the title and thought TIA.
My mum was 80 and fit as a fiddle and developed a slight speech impediment. It turned out it was a TIA. If nothing else they would consider blood thinners to prevent a stroke.