An overbite is a vertical misalignment where your upper front teeth overlap your lower front teeth more than they should. Some overlap is completely normal and even necessary for chewing. A healthy bite has about 1 to 3 millimeters of vertical overlap. When that overlap exceeds 4 millimeters, it’s considered a deep overbite, which can lead to jaw pain, tooth wear, and other problems over time.
Overbite vs. Overjet
These two terms get mixed up constantly, but they describe different things. An overbite is vertical: your upper teeth drop down too far over your lower teeth. An overjet is horizontal: your upper teeth stick out too far in front of your lower teeth. In a normal bite, the upper front teeth sit roughly 2 millimeters ahead of the lower teeth. When that horizontal gap grows beyond 2 millimeters, that’s an overjet, sometimes called “buck teeth.” You can have one without the other, or both at the same time.
What Causes an Overbite
Most overbites come down to genetics. The size and shape of your jaw are inherited, and if your upper jaw is larger than your lower jaw (or your lower jaw is set further back), a deep overbite is the natural result. This is called a skeletal overbite, meaning the bone structure itself is the issue rather than just the position of the teeth.
Childhood habits play a significant role too. Thumb sucking beyond age 3 or 4 puts continuous forward pressure on the upper jaw and teeth. One study found that persistent thumb or finger sucking beyond age 4 made children more than four times as likely to develop bite problems. Tongue thrusting, where a child pushes their tongue against or between the front teeth during swallowing, also increases the risk of malocclusion by about three times. Other contributing factors include prolonged pacifier use, mouth breathing, and losing baby teeth too early or too late, which can shift the alignment of incoming adult teeth.
In adults, overbites can worsen over time from tooth loss or grinding. When back teeth are lost and not replaced, the remaining teeth shift, and the bite deepens as the front teeth over-erupt to compensate.
Dental vs. Skeletal Overbites
This distinction matters because it determines what kind of treatment will actually work. A dental overbite means the teeth themselves grew in at the wrong angle or position, but the jaw bones are properly sized and aligned. These are generally simpler to fix because moving teeth is all that’s needed.
A skeletal overbite means the jaw bones themselves are mismatched. Often the lower jaw is too small or positioned too far back relative to the upper jaw. In children and teens whose bones are still growing, appliances that guide jaw growth can sometimes correct this. In adults, severe skeletal overbites may require surgery because the bones have stopped growing and can’t be reshaped by orthodontic forces alone. Many cases involve a combination of both skeletal and dental components.
Problems From an Untreated Overbite
A mild overbite within the normal 1 to 3 millimeter range doesn’t need treatment. But a deeper overbite that goes uncorrected can cause a cascade of issues. The lower front teeth may bite into the gum tissue behind the upper teeth, causing chronic irritation and even tissue damage. The uneven contact between upper and lower teeth accelerates enamel wear, making teeth more vulnerable to decay and sensitivity.
Jaw pain and TMJ disorders are common with significant overbites. The misaligned bite forces the jaw joint to work in a position it wasn’t designed for, which can lead to clicking, locking, headaches, and pain that radiates into the neck and ears. Speech can also be affected, particularly the ability to produce certain sounds clearly, because the tongue and lips rely on tooth position for articulation.
How Overbites Are Corrected
Treatment depends on the severity and whether the cause is dental, skeletal, or both.
For mild to moderate overbites caused by tooth position, clear aligners are now a proven option. Modern aligner systems use small tooth-colored attachments bonded to the teeth that help the trays grip and move teeth precisely. Rubber bands (elastics) stretched between the upper and lower arches can be added to help reposition the bite. Traditional metal braces remain effective and are sometimes preferred for more complex tooth movements because they give the orthodontist finer control.
For teens and adults with a purely dental overbite, treatment with braces typically takes 12 to 18 months. When skeletal factors are involved but surgery isn’t warranted, expect 18 to 24 months or longer. Younger patients whose jaws are still developing have additional options, including growth modification appliances that encourage the lower jaw to grow forward or restrain upper jaw growth.
Severe skeletal overbites in adults sometimes require orthognathic (jaw) surgery. This is generally reserved for cases where the jaw discrepancy is large enough that moving teeth alone can’t produce a functional bite, or where the deep overbite is causing tissue damage. Surgical cases involve braces both before and after the procedure, with a total timeline of 24 to 36 months. Surgery criteria typically include skeletal measurements that fall significantly outside normal ranges, or a deep bite where the lower teeth are digging into the soft tissue of the upper palate.
What Treatment Feels Like
Whether you go with braces or aligners, the first few days after adjustments are the most uncomfortable. Most people describe it as a dull pressure rather than sharp pain, and it fades within a week. With clear aligners, you’ll switch to a new tray every one to two weeks, and each new tray brings a brief period of tightness. Braces adjustments happen every four to eight weeks.
After active treatment ends, you’ll wear a retainer. This is non-negotiable for maintaining results, because teeth naturally drift back toward their original positions over time. Many orthodontists recommend a permanent wire bonded behind the front teeth, or a removable retainer worn nightly for years afterward. Without consistent retainer use, some degree of relapse is common.