Metal Mouth Message Board

I've been looking websites for affordable wax and noticed that there are two types. Silicone wax and just wax. Is there a difference? According to the website the price is the same for both.

Hi. I have been buying "Mack's Ear Plug Wax" I think it is called, at the grocery store. It is silicon. It seems to stay on a little better than the wax type wax.

Good luck!

Real

I think it really is a personal preference. My wax of choice is the Mack's pillow soft silicone ear plugs. It is cheaper and you can tear off the amounts that work best for me. At my worst times, I was using quite a bit at once because I had a lot of 'pokey' wires that dug holes in my cheeks.

I'm a huge fan of GUM aloe & vitamin E wax. I find it sticks well and it has a very light spearmint taste. The aloe & vitamin E are very soothing on my cheeks. When I first got my braces on my fiance ordered me a case of it on line and it was cheaper than buying it a pack at a time at the drug store.

I also used earplug silicone. It was cheap, easily accessible, and I liked the way it stuck better than wax. I also liked that it's almost totally clear so it was less noticeable especially on front teeth.

I tried silicon wax, but found it to be quite difficult to apply. If your teeth/brackets weren't perfectly dry, it didn't like to stick. However, if you could get it to stick, it was a lot nicer than traditional braces wax. For me, though, it still wasn't enough to deal with the difficulties and I stuck with tradtional wax.

I use regular wax.

My fave is GUM wax with Aloe & Vitamin E. It's easy to apply, sticks well, very soothing because of the aloe & E and it has a very very light mint taste. My fiance was a sweetheart and bought me a case of it on line because I was cleaning out every drug store around in the beginning. It was about 50 cents cheaper per little box on line by the case vs. the drug store.

Another vote for the GUM brand wax. I have issues getting the silicone to stick to my teeth sometimes. It seems to cling to my fingers without a problem though. My ortho gives out a very good wax as well, although the assistant slipped me pack of the silicone stuff once as an apparent favor.

I actually prefer the 'Wisdom' brand over the GUM brand, I find it sticks much better, & is more malleable, & I can choose the amount from the small sticks, rather than have to try to rip apart a 'pellet' of GUM. I agree that silicon can be really hardy once u get it in place. My dentist told me to warm it up under running hot water before sticking. Strangely that worked, but I prefer using a wax that doesn't necessitate access to hot running water: it's a little more discreet! Wisdom wax is sadly hard to find.

I purchased a dozen silicone thinking it would be awesome, but if the area isn't completely dry...good luck getting it to stick! Wax warms up in your fingers and is easier to apply and stays on longer. But give either a go, this is really about personal preference!

I bought a ton of silicone, I'm going to look for aloe and e... My brackets go on tuesday

I like the silicone wax for areas in the front of my mouth, as it's easier to get these areas dry; it sticks like crazy, and will often last through short eating sessions; and it's clear, so it is hardly noticeable at all. For issues in the molar areas, I use the regular wax, as it sticks better in damp areas and I don't care if I have a huge lump of white stuff hanging around back there. My ortho office has baskets of the regular stuff available at the tooth brushing stations, but to get the silicone kind, you have to ask an assistant to dole some out to you.

All my friend like the wax more.

I'm a fan of OrthoSil.
I can't remember the brand that I was given by my ortho in the 90s, but the current stuff seems MILES better.
I've only needed it for a few days at the beginning though, and then a few days after my first adjustment when I got wire ligs for the first time.