Everything You Need To Know About Mewing

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Have you heard about the unusual health technique gaining popularity on social media and YouTube? This year Instagram and Facebook are awash with videos and tips about Mewing, a technique that promises many health benefits, one of them being facial structure enhancement.

Here is everything you need to know about mewing.

What is mewing?

Mewing is coined after popular British orthodontists Mike Mew. After his qualification as a dentist in 1993, he ventured into community dentistry, general practice, and facial surgery.

He joined Aarhus University in Denmark, where he joined an Orthodontic programme and graduated as a qualified specialist dentist in 2004.

Dr. Mike runs a YouTube channel- Orthotropics- where he shares his expertise on natural facial growth guidance, which is achieved through posture improvement and muscle strengthening exercises.

Mewing involves resting your tongue on the roof of the mouth such that it becomes the unconscious tongue resting position whenever the mouth is closed.

How does mewing help, and how can you do it?

• Mewing helps in preventing headaches, neck pain, and jaw pain.
• People who hold their tongue correctly have fewer chances of crowded or crooked teeth.
• Proper tongue positioning plays a vital role in well-defined facial structure and higher cheekbones. It improves face shape and makes the jawline stronger.

While mewing might seem to be strange in the first few days, once you’ve aced it and conditioned your brain to do it, the whole process becomes relatively simple. First rest your entire tongue on your mouth’s roof. Make sure the back of your tongue rests on the roof of your mouth and ensure that the tongue is between the molars. Because the muscles in the mouth are weak, you might find this process tiring. If you feel some pressure on your jawline, chin, and mid-face then you’re “mewing” correctly.

Does mewing work?

Proper tongue positioning isn’t something new nor was it invented by the mewing dentist. It’s something that’s been around for over a century now. Myofunctional therapy involves training patients in tongue posture and correct swallowing. While oral posture is an area that hasn’t been thoroughly studied, few clinical studies and some firsthand patient accounts can confirm its success.

The skull isn’t made up of one large bone. It’s made of bones and connective tissues that connect the bones. This provides evidence that the skull can change over time through corrective therapy. For example, Dr. Mew states how the motor neuron disease affected the shape of the late Stephen Hawking’s skull over the years. Because of lack of movement in his dace, his skull sagged downwards with age, changing its shape. This is proof that the skull is elastic to some extent.

Because the skull is flexible, mewing works because it involves balancing the muscles in the neck, face proper and mouth. This will cause a slight change in facial structure with time. What maintains the facial balance is the upper jaw (maxilla), and your tongue will be pressed against it hence improving the balance.

Mewing Success Stories

There are hundreds, even thousands of photographs people have uploaded online to share their progress. Let’s have a look at some of these success stories.

Before and after a photo of a Reddit user after four months of mewing- the user claimed that the quick results could be attributed to a combination of other factors such as mouth exercising and chewing tough food such as nuts and meat.

Photo by a Reddit user boasting mewing success after eight months; from the image you can see that double chin is almost gone, and there’s noticeably defined jawline.

Another Reddit user before and after few months mewing

After how long should you expect results?

Mewing is a corrective therapy and, therefore, don’t expect to see results overnight. Some of those who’ve practiced it claim to have seen considerable changes to their jawline, mid face and in chin from 6months to a year, while for others it might take up to a year for noticeable changes.

Your primary goal in the first few months should be to condition your brain such that tongue posture becomes an unconscious habit, and you won’t need to think about it anymore.

Because mewing is similar to rewiring your brain to rest the tongue differently, the results won’t happen sooner and might take up to a year or more to see changes.

Why is mewing important?

Many people think that it’s normal to rest the tongue on the floor of the mouth. While you may find it normal, it’s a bad habit that could be as a result of eating many soft foods as a child, mouth-breathing, or as a result of other reasons. You probably thought it was normal until now.

By resting your tongue on the roof of the mouth, your entire mid face comes forward. The results of this basic technique are many, and they include healthier swallowing, defined jawline, and improved facial posture.

How does modern lifestyle affect jaw growth?

The major cause of improper tongue posture today is simply a lifestyle. Advancement in technology has seen the rise of processed food which can be stored for years, breastfeeding supplement nursing mothers take to increase milk supply, and many others. Our passive lifestyles both at work and at home have compromised our posture. This new lifestyle has rendered our masticating muscles inactive, and this problem is prevalent in developed countries. There’s been a rise of patients in developed countries requiring orthodontic treatment in the past few years.

• According to a study published in Sandra Kahn and Paul R. Ehrlich’s book titled Jaws: The Story of Hidden Epidemic, fossils records show that pre-modern man had few instances of facial deformities and crooked teeth, unlike modern man.

Resting your tongue on the roof of your mouth will help define the jawline and balance your face. The reason why mewing is termed a corrective therapy is that it emphasizes trying to consciously retrain yourself to rest your tongue on its natural resting position.

Recommended products and supplements to help you in your “mewing journey.”

Chewing Mastic Gum

In one of his YouTube videos, Dr. Mike Mew recommends incorporating chewing gum when mewing. By chewing gum, you can strengthen your facial muscles resulting in a defined jawline. Mewing will help fix internal orientation of your face, which in turn results in more effective jaw workouts.

As indicated in the previous article on how to get a chiseled jawline, mastic gum is the recommended gum to chew. It’s durable, and you can literarily chew it forever, and on top of that it boasts different health benefits. Below are some of the recommended mastic gums to help give your jaw the perfect workout when mewing.

• Greece, Greek Chios (Xios) Mastic Gum – is an all-natural product that you can literarily chew forever.
• Krinos Mastic Gum, which is made from sun-dried mastic extract, the sap that comes the mastic tree is sun-dried and then dried into tiny droplets.

For best results, it’s recommended you chew 2-3 hours for the first few days. But be sure not to overdo it. The first couple of days, you might feel soreness in your jaw; this is a sign that you’re working out your jaw muscles. After weeks the soreness should cease, and this will give result in a more defined jawline.

Chew Falim Gum

Some people don’t like the taste of mastic gum. If you’re one of them, Falim Gum is a good alternative for you. (Check latest price on Amazon).  One pack contains 100 pieces of sugar-free chewing gum. Falim Gum is also cheaper than Greek Chios mastic gum. The gum has a similar texture to regular gum, and that’s why most people opt for Falim gum. Unfortunately, you won’t get any health benefits with Falim gum compared to Mastic Gum.

There are different supplements you blend with mewing to keep yourself in shape and healthy. Below are recommendations to get you started.

• Vitamin D3 helps with bone health, and Vitamin K2 helps promote cardiovascular health and improves bone plasticity. Sports Research Vitamin K2+ D3 is an excellent supplement that will give you fuller benefits of both vitamin D3 and K2.

Click here for vitamin D supplements.

Other recommended supplements you can incorporate in your mewing journey include B vitamins and magnesium that will help your body convert more nutrients into energy and build muscle stamina, respectively.

Get the products that will get you the perfect jawline.