Lynne Terry/AP

 

Karen Butler insists she sounded all-American until she underwent dental surgery in 2009.

"I don't feel different inside at all. I'm the same old me I ever was," said Karen Butler, 56, of Toledo, Ore.

Butler, who was born in Illinois and moved to Oregon at the age of 1, insists she sounded all-American until she underwent dental surgery in November 2009.

Gingivitis prompted her to have all her top teeth and her front bottom teeth extracted. She was left with dentures and sounding like a Brit, despite never having visited England.

"There's nothing wrong with having an accent," said Butler, who has become a media sensation in her town of 3,500 people, even appearing on the "Today" show to discuss her new voice.

After looking up her condition on the Internet, Butler said she believes she has Foreign Accent syndrome, a medical condition with only a few dozen documented cases.

"We don't know exactly how or why it happens, but it simply affects rhythm of language," said Dr. Helmi Lutsep, vice chairman of the Department of Neurology at Oregon Health & Science University.

He said neurologists will see at least one case in their career.