Braces for buck teeth vs deep bites: did you know they're not the same thing?

Funny, I thought they were the same too until my second round of braces as an adult. My ortho actually showed me with a mirror how my overjet was the “sticky-out” part, and the deep bite was a whole separate issue. Honestly, I wish I’d known sooner - it would’ve saved me a lot of confusion when they started talking about bite plates and elastics. Did anyone else have to use those weird bite ramps? They took some getting used to...

My kid’s going through braces right now, and I’ll admit, I was in the “aren’t those the same thing?” camp until her ortho laid it all out for us. It’s wild how much nuance there is - overjet, overbite, deep bite... I thought it was just teeth sticking out or not! When they started talking about bite ramps, I had to Google it because she came home sounding like she had a mouthful of marbles.

She got the bite ramps on her front teeth and honestly, it took her a couple weeks to figure out how to eat anything besides yogurt and soup. At first, she was convinced she’d never chew a sandwich again. I guess I didn’t realize how much your bite affects everything - she even said her speech felt weird for a while. But after a month or so, she adjusted (kids are so much more adaptable than adults, I swear).

I do wish the ortho had explained the differences between these issues sooner. We were totally caught off guard when they said she’d need elastics for one thing and bite blocks for another. It would’ve helped to know that “sticky-out” teeth and “deep” bites aren’t just two ways of saying the same problem. Sometimes I wonder if dentists forget we don’t all have a dental degree...

Funny enough, my daughter has started explaining the whole overjet vs deep bite thing to her friends now. She even drew diagrams on her tablet to show me what’s going on in her mouth (future orthodontist, maybe?). Anyway, glad to know we’re not the only ones confused by all the orthodontic lingo. Those bite ramps are definitely an experience - she says it’s like having little speed bumps in your mouth.

My son had bite ramps too, and I swear we lived on mashed potatoes for a month. I totally get what you mean about the ortho-speak - I kept mixing up overjet and overbite until I saw the bill and realized they’re charging for both. The communication gap is real. Kids seem to just roll with it, but for us it’s a whole learning curve... and sometimes an expensive one.

Yeah, our ortho barely explained any of that either. I only noticed the difference once they started talking elastics and headgear for my overjet, but my friend with a deep bite just got regular braces. It’s weird how much jargon there is.