Braces for buck teeth vs deep bite: did you know there’s a difference?

felt like my tongue was in a wrestling match and my cheeks lost every round

That’s exactly how I felt the first night - my tongue kept finding new sore spots. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss just being able to close my mouth comfortably. Chapstick definitely helps, but for me, it’s the constant drooling that gets old fast. Wax is a bit messy, but I’ll take it over raw cheeks any day.

Wax is a bit messy, but I’ll take it over raw cheeks any day.

Honestly, I tried to save money and skipped the wax at first - big mistake. Ended up with sores that made eating anything crunchy feel like punishment. Chapstick’s good for lips, but I found rinsing with salt water helped my cheeks more. Drooling is just... part of the “braces budget package,” I guess. Worth it in the long run, but definitely not glamorous.

Drooling is just... part of the “braces budget package,” I guess.

Haha, no kidding. I thought I was the only one who woke up with a wet pillow those first few weeks. Did you ever try those silicone covers instead of wax? I heard they’re less messy, but not sure if they actually stay put. Also, salt water rinses are a lifesaver - my ortho recommended them but I didn’t expect them to work as well as they did.

Did you ever try those silicone covers instead of wax? I heard they’re less messy, but not sure if they actually stay put.

I tried the silicone covers for a few days - honestly, they felt smoother than wax but kept slipping off when I ate or talked too much. Wax was messier but somehow stuck better for me. Salt water rinses really did help with soreness, though. The drooling never totally went away, but at least it got less embarrassing after a while...

Wax was messier but somehow stuck better for me.

That matches my experience too. The silicone covers felt nice at first, but I couldn't get them to stay on if I was eating anything even slightly chewy. Wax is a bit of a hassle, but it really does the job when brackets are rubbing raw spots. Salt water rinses were a lifesaver for me as well - helped with both the soreness and keeping things clean. The drooling part... yeah, that's just one of those awkward phases most of us seem to go through. It does get easier, thankfully.

Salt water rinses were a lifesaver for me as well - helped with both the soreness and keeping things clean.

Totally agree about the salt water. My kid hated the taste at first, but it made such a difference after those first few days with new wires. We tried the silicone covers too, but they’d always end up in the napkin at dinner. The wax was messy, but honestly, it saved us from a lot of tears. It’s wild how something so simple can help so much. The drooling phase was hilarious… we still laugh about it now. Hang in there - it really does get easier once you’re past the first month or so.

Salt water rinses definitely help, but I do get a little nervous when people rely on them too much for soreness. They’re great for keeping the area clean and soothing, but sometimes persistent discomfort can mean something else is going on - like a wire poking or even a bit of an ulcer forming. I’ve seen a few kids try to tough it out with just rinses and wax, and end up with more irritation because they didn’t mention it at their next visit.

The wax is a lifesaver, though I’ve noticed some kids get a bit too enthusiastic with it and end up swallowing little bits. Not ideal, but not dangerous either. The drooling phase is real - some of my patients have called it “the waterfall” stage. It does pass, usually faster than you think.

I’d just say, if anything feels sharper or more painful than mild soreness, it’s worth checking in. Salt water helps, but it’s not a cure-all. Sometimes a tiny adjustment can make a world of difference.

My kiddo has “the waterfall” stage down to an art. I remember that first week after she got her braces on for her deep bite - she kept a paper towel tucked in her sleeve at all times, just in case. She’d try to talk and then pause, mid-sentence, with this look like, “Wait, am I drooling?” It was both hilarious and a little heartbreaking.

We started with salt water rinses too (my grandma swore by them for everything), and it did help soothe the initial soreness. But I totally get what you’re saying - there was one spot that stayed sore longer than the rest, and it turned out a bracket was rubbing her cheek raw. She didn’t want to bother anyone about it, so she just kept using wax and rinsing, but it got worse. The orthodontist ended up making a tiny tweak, and suddenly she was fine. I wish she’d spoken up sooner instead of toughing it out... but I get it, kids don’t always want extra trips to the dentist.

Funny thing about the wax - she was convinced she could make it stick better if she chewed it a bit first. Not sure where she got that idea, but it led to a couple of “oops, I swallowed it” moments. No harm done, but we had a good laugh about it.

Honestly, the biggest difference I noticed between her treatment and my nephew’s (he had braces for buck teeth) is how much more fiddly the deep bite stuff was. His main issue was his front teeth sticking out, so once those started moving back, he felt relief pretty quick. With my daughter’s deep bite, the discomfort came and went in waves as they adjusted her bite over months. Different kind of patience required.

If there’s one thing I’d pass on: if your kid says something feels sharp or weird, trust them. Even if it seems minor. The little adjustments really do make a world of difference - sometimes even more than all the rinses and wax combined.

And yeah... drooling does pass. Eventually.

Reading this brings back memories I’d rather forget, honestly. When I got my braces (for a deep bite too), I was convinced I’d never swallow or speak normally again. My mouth felt like a leaky faucet for weeks - carried tissues everywhere, just in case. And the wax... I was so nervous about using it that I’d end up with half of it stuck to my tongue instead of the bracket. I agree, those little tweaks at the ortho make a bigger difference than you expect. I always worried I was being dramatic, but turns out, if it feels sharp, it probably is.

I always worried I was being dramatic, but turns out, if it feels sharp, it probably is.

Honestly, you nailed it with that line. I remember thinking I was being a total wimp when I’d have to ask for more wax or tell my ortho something felt off. But after the third time getting a cut in the same spot on my cheek, I realized there’s no gold medal for powering through unnecessary pain. If it hurts, it’s worth mentioning.

About the wax - don’t get me started. The first few times I tried using it, I’d end up with this weird blob stuck to my teeth, half dissolved, and then I’d panic and try to fish it out with my tongue. Eventually, I figured out a little trick: dry the bracket and tooth as much as possible with a tissue before putting the wax on. Sounds simple, but nobody tells you that part. If you do that, it actually sticks instead of sliding right off.

The saliva thing is so real, too. I swear my mouth was like Niagara Falls for at least a month. I carried a little pack of tissues everywhere and just sort of accepted drooling as my new normal. It did get better though. Your mouth adjusts, and suddenly you realize you haven’t needed a tissue all day.

One thing I wish I’d known from the start: don’t be shy about telling your ortho what’s bugging you. Even tiny tweaks can make a huge difference in comfort. At first, I thought tightening days would be the worst, but sometimes it was just a rogue wire poking out that made things miserable. They can snip those ends in like two seconds.

As for the difference between deep bite and buck teeth treatments, I was surprised by how specific some of the adjustments were. My friend had braces for buck teeth, and her elastics were set up totally differently than mine. She barely noticed her bite changing, but for me, it felt like my whole jaw was shifting every time they made an adjustment.

It’s wild how personal the process is. But yeah, if something doesn’t feel right - say something. You’re not being dramatic at all.

I realized there’s no gold medal for powering through unnecessary pain.

That’s so true. I used to think I was just being whiny, but those little cuts add up fast. And yes to the wax drama - I swear half of it ended up stuck to my tongue instead of the bracket. The Niagara Falls saliva phase had me laughing. I thought I was the only one drooling through math class...

Funny you mention the “powering through” thing - honestly, I get where you’re coming from, but sometimes I think a little discomfort is just part of the process. I tried to tough it out at first and, weirdly, it made me feel more in control. Granted, I caved and used wax eventually (and yes, it ended up everywhere except the bracket). Maybe there’s no medal, but I did get some weird sense of accomplishment... not sure it was entirely pointless. Anyone else feel like that?

I caved and used wax eventually (and yes, it ended up everywhere except the bracket).

That wax struggle is too real. I remember thinking, “How hard can it be?” and then finding wax in places I didn’t know existed. Honestly, I get that sense of accomplishment you’re talking about. Sometimes just making it through a tough day with braces feels like a win, even if it’s a weird one.

- 100% relate to this:

“Sometimes just making it through a tough day with braces feels like a win, even if it’s a weird one.”

“Wax never stays where it’s supposed to. I swear it ends up on my tongue or stuck to my cheek more than the bracket.”

That wax struggle is so real. My kiddo had deep bite too, but honestly, the wax didn’t do much for her after the first week or two. She’d put it on, and five minutes later it was gone - usually swallowed, I suspect. We actually found that a tiny bit of orthodontic silicone (the kind swimmers use for earplugs) stuck better when things were really rough, especially at night.

I will say, though, with buck teeth, she complained more about her lips getting sore and chapped. The brackets would rub and chap her skin way more than with the deep bite phase. Maybe it’s just how her mouth is shaped, but for us, deep bite pain was sharp but short-lived while the buck teeth phase just dragged with this constant irritation.

Surviving those first weeks really does feel like an achievement... but I’m not totally convinced deep bite is always worse than buck teeth. Both have their own brand of misery.

Honestly, I’m with you - deep bite pain hits hard, but at least it’s over pretty quick. When I had braces for my buck teeth, it was this never-ending battle with my lips getting raw and peeling. And yeah, the wax is a total joke after a while... I ended up just toughing it out most days. It’s wild how everyone’s mouth reacts so differently, though. I always thought deep bite would be worse, but honestly, the constant chapping from buck teeth drove me nuts. Hang in there - it really does get better with time.

I totally get what you mean about the raw lips. When I had braces for my overbite, it was this constant struggle with the brackets rubbing my cheeks raw, especially at night. The wax would just fall off after an hour or two, and then I'd wake up with sore spots. Deep bite pain was sharp but at least it faded after a few days - those raw patches just lingered. It’s weird how some folks never seem to get mouth sores at all, but for me that was honestly the worst part.

The wax would just fall off after an hour or two, and then I'd wake up with sore spots.

I had the same issue - wax never lasted through the night for me either. Ended up cutting tiny strips of gauze and tucking them over the brackets sometimes, which helped a bit. Did you ever figure out a better trick for that? Also curious if you noticed any difference in where the sores showed up depending on whether they were fixing your overbite or deep bite. For me, it was always the inside of my lower lip that got wrecked.

For me, it was always the inside of my lower lip that got wrecked.

Same, dude. Lower lip took all the damage, especially when they started cranking down on my deep bite. Wax was useless after like an hour - felt like it just melted away. I tried the gauze thing too but sometimes it just got stuck. Ended up using those little orthodontic silicone covers, which worked better but kinda pricey. Honestly, I think my mouth just gave up and built calluses after a while... not fun.

The inside of my lower lip was like a war zone for the first few months, especially when they started shifting my deep bite. I swear, every time my ortho tightened something, it felt like the brackets were staging a coup against my mouth. Wax? Yeah, forget it. That stuff lasted about as long as my patience at appointments - maybe an hour if I was lucky. I tried biting down on wet paper towels, which just made me look like I’d lost a fight with a napkin dispenser.

I did end up spending way too much on those silicone covers too, but honestly, I think you’re right - eventually your mouth just toughens up. It’s weirdly impressive how fast your body adapts to constant irritation. I still remember one week where I had a canker sore on top of the regular bracket gouges... good times.

Funny thing is, when my sister got braces for her overjet (buck teeth), she complained way more about the front of her lips getting sore. Guess deep bite folks get the lower lip trauma while overjet folks get the front row pain. Who knew there was such a difference?