How To Mew Properly & What is Mewing: Mewing Tongue Posture Guide
This part can differ from person to person.
How to Mew Properly in 5 Steps (Complete Guide)
The Simple & Best Mewing Tutorial: Everything You Need To Know About How To Mew Properly In One Place
🔎 Revealed on this page.
- 📝 The 5 Steps To Mewing: do them, and you will transform your facial bone structure. Don’t do them all, and nothing will happen.
- 😰 “Am I Mewing Properly?” – 3 ways to know you aren’t wasting your time. and possibly making your face asymmetrical.
- 💪 The Other 67% of The Jawline Formula: mewing works. But it doesn’t build any muscle in your jaw.
The “Mewing” technique was first discovered in. 🙄 BLaH bLAh I DoN’t CaRE !
Forget the history, you just wanna know how to mew properly, right?
You saw an insane mewing before and after photo on YouTube and want a sharp jawline for yourself.
Patients, too, are unhappy with the care they receive during those brief interactions with their doctors. Healthcare communications company West Corporation reported that 25% of patients don’t feel that their provider cares about them as an individual and nearly 20% aren’t convinced their doctor is focused on improving their health – even though 93% of doctors strongly agree that patient satisfaction is important.
But you can’t find a guide that is easy-to-understand.
And the more information you read, the more questions you have.
Perfect!
You’re exactly like I was when I started: confused and still a little skeptical.
I wrote this guide to a younger version of myself.
It’s exactly what I wish I’d found early on.
I wouldn’t have had to figure it out myself.
If you still don’t know what mewing is. read this👇
What is Mewing and How Much of it is Actually Science?
THE SHORT VERSION
Mewing is social media’s alternative name for Orthotropics – a branch of Orthodontics that claims that an individuals facial structure is a result of nasal breathing and jaw posture.
This theory originally comes from a British Orthodontist called John Mew.
In recent years, his son Mike Mew has continued his father’s work.
A Mewing Tutorial Video Is Better Than Words
Y ou remember information 8 times better if it’s visual.
So I think it’s better if you watch this mewing tutorial that I made.
It’s less detailed than this article, but it has animations that will help you understand what the heck I’m talking about.
Learn the right tongue placement technique ASAP, and you’ll get results ASAP.
Watch the tutorial at the bottom of this page and then read this entire article afterwards.
I go into more detail here because I had more time to think when writing it.
And I didn’t want to make a 44 minute video.
1. Seal Your Lips Lightly 💋
S eal your lips lightly.
Use your lip muscles as little as possible.
You shouldn’t force them together.
And old expression for this is “pursed lips”- like the zipper on a purse your granny collects quarters in.
Anyway, don’t do it if you want the “hollow cheeks” look.
HOW FAR APART SHOULD MY TEETH BE?
Your front teeth shouldn’t touch, but your back teeth can touch lightly.
This part can differ from person to person.
Some guys find it more comfortable to have their back teeth slightly apart .
As long as your teeth aren’t much more than 5mm apart.
If they’re 1cm apart- that’s wrong.
Have your bottom teeth slightly behind your upper teeth in a slight overbite.
I know that won’t be easy for everyone.
You may have an overbite, underbite, retainers or braces that make it hard.
But that’s the natural position our teeth are supposed to be in.
Don’t worry if you can’t maintain this position straight away.
It’s the end goal.
Try to do it the best you can and follow the other steps.
Over time your bite position will improve.
For more information on how to position your teeth, check out this article 👇
Mewing Teeth Position – How to Do it Correctly (Complete Guide)
Quick recap of the first three steps of mewing:
1. Lips sealed super simple, relaxed
2. Tongue up against your palate not touching your teeth try to engage the whole tongue with the back up as well- that is the most important part!
3. Good back posture.
Stand up straight with your shoulders back and do the same when you’re sitting down.
4. Swallow Using Only Your Tongue 🥤
Swallowing correctly will accelerate your results because it generates a huge amount of force against your upper palate.
If you didn’t watc h the mewing tutorial abov e- I recommend you do.
Just for this step, because it’s hard to understand (and explain) the proper technique without a visual demonstration.
Start with your back teeth slightly touching and in the correct mewing posture.
Use the tip of your tongue to gather the spit and press it against the upper palate of your mouth.
Swallow hard and push that saliva down your throat.
While swallowing your cheeks and lips shouldn’t move at all.
This is the most important part: when swallowing- your tongue should do all the work. Your cheeks and lips shouldn’t move at all.
When viewing proper swallowing from the outside: you should see the Adam’s apple move up and down.
The tongue pushing saliva down the throat shouldn’t be noticeable from the outside.
Same goes for your head = it shouldn’t move.
Move as little as possible.
It is just your tongue that does the work.
This step is probably impossible (at least it was for me) before you have the correct tongue posture.
Practicing each one of the other steps is crucial before you can even come close to doing this part correctly.
Don’t worry if you can’t do this in the beginning, because almost no-one can.
It’s the end goal that you want to be working towards.
Right now i’m just demonstrating swallowing saliva but it’s the same when you swallow water or you chew food.
You chew up the food with your teeth but it’s just your tongue that scoops it up and does the swallowing.
You don’t need your cheeks or lips and your head shouldn’t move.
5. Chew Slowly With Your Mouth Closed 🦷
If you don’t chew correctly you’re going to build the muscles in your cheeks which results in that “bloated cheeks” look.
Never chew with your mouth open.
The wider your mouth is when you’re chewing the more you’re engaging the wrong muscles which can result in a bloated look.
One tip that makes this so much easier is to chew slowly.
Chewing slowly makes you actually eat less, so it’s better for weight loss.
It makes you digest food better, so it’s much better for your health.
Chewing slowly means you’re more likely to chew with your mouth closed, which means it’s easier to swallow with the correct technique using your tongue.
The correct chewing technique (using mastic or jawline gum ) can build your masseter muscles.
They’re the muscles everyone wants on the side of the jaw.
See the link at the bottom of the page.
Remember: chew with your mouth closed. and chew slowly.
Need Some Mewing Motivation?
If you’re still skeptical about mewing. then you NEED to see this:
- 100 Mewing Before and After Photos
- The 7 Best Mewing Transformations on YouTube
- My Personal Mewing Results (I share my secret hack)
Click the link to get access 👇
100 Mewing Before and After Photos that Will EXCITE you
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
😠 “Complete mewing tutorial eh? I know all about the correct tongue placement, but I just can’t. “
If something still isn’t clear, whatever you’re wondering about is probably a common concern.
1️⃣ How to mew while you sleep
You won’t be able to mew while you sleep.
Not in the beginning at least.
It’s hard enough to maintain the tongue position while you’re awake, so just forget about mewing while you’re sleeping.
Focus on mewing during the day until it feels 100% natural and you don’t have to think about it.
Eventually you’ll automatically start mewing while sleeping.
2️⃣ Why can’t I breathe while mewing?
This happens to everybody.
Are you swallowing and then holding it to get the mewing tongue posture?
Well, that’s not the right way to do it. Watch this.
If nasal breathing is hard for you. then focus on that before trying to do the mewing tongue posture.
A lot of people can’t breathe while mewing, because they can’t breathe through their nose when they are NOT mewing.
Get comfortable with nose breathing before you worry about the mewing tongue posture.
3️⃣ Is it normal to produce so much extra saliva?
It will be pretty annoying for a while (with all that swallowing), but it will stop after the first few weeks.
Use the opportunity to practise your swallowing.
It generates a large amount of force up against your palate and it responsible for a lot of the changes that mewing can make on your face.
4️⃣ Should the tongue touch the front teeth while mewing?
Your tongue shouldn’t touch your teeth at all while mewing.
If they’re touching your bottom teeth, then your tongue isn’t against your palate.
If your tongue is touching your upper, front teeth- then you need to move it back and place the tip behind your two front teeth.
It’s going to be uncomfortable.
Adjusting your tongue to a new position is straining on lots of muscles in your face.
Just remember that the pain and discomfort will pay off big time with amazing mewing results in the future!
5️⃣ How long should I mew a day?
The more the better.
But that’s not practical in the beginning.
Start with just 30 minutes a day and gradually work your way to more time everyday.
When you’re learning how to mew, it’s more important to have the correct mewing posture than worry about how long you mew every day.
Remember: mewing isn’t an exercise.
A new way of breathing and positioning your tongue.
That means you’re going to mew for the rest of your life.
It’s not an exercise you simply stop when you’re happy with the results.
6️⃣ I’ve been mewing for 3 months and I haven’t seen any changes!
Mewing takes time!
Some lucky people see results in a few months (usually teenagers).
But most people need 6+ months to see mewing results.
Make sure you’re doing it right and keep at it!
Check out this article if you need some mewing motivation.
7️⃣ Can you mew with braces?
But it will be more uncomfortable and it will take longer to see visible.
If you’re a teenager with braces, it’s probably best to wait until you get your braces off.
Braces are uncomfortable enough as it is, you don’t need to make your life too hard.
This is the best mewing tutorial on YouTube
🍀 GOOD LUCK! 🍀
Thank you for reading my mewing tutorial. I hope I was able to help. If you enjoyed it, please share it with your friends – thank you!
Matt Phelps
YouTuber & Founder of STEEL
[email protected]
P.S Mewing is only 1/3 of formula for getting your best jawline 👇
How To Mew Properly & What is Mewing: Mewing Tongue Posture Guide
Mewing is a technique that involves positioning the tongue against the roof of the mouth, behind the upper teeth, and keeping the lips closed, maintaining nasal breathing. The goal of mewing is to improve the alignment of the teeth, make jawline more chiseled and face structure more attractive. It is often associated with the practice of orthotropics, which aims to correct facial and dental development through specific exercises and techniques.
Mewing is aimed at counteracting the negative effects caused by mouth breathing, eating soft foods and improper tongue posture. To mew properly, you should try to keep your tongue in the right position as much as possible
Mewing has gained a lot of popularity on the Internet in the last few years because of the large number of impressive mewing before and after photos and YouTube videos.
Despite the recent popularity of mewing, proper tongue placement has long been recommended by orthodontists as a way to improve jaw line, correct speech impediments, improve nasal breathing and relieve jaw pain.
If you’re still not sure what mewing is – in the article below we’ll answer all the most common questions about mewing:
- what is mewing?
- what are mewing benefits?
- what is the scientific basis of mewing technique?
- what evidence we have of the effectiveness of mewing?
- how to mew properly, to get results and not to harm yourself.
Get a better jawline in just 28 days
Get rid of a double chin and get an attractive jawline with a daily mewing workout
How to mew properly
Now let’s learn how to mew properly and what is correct mewing technique.
The essence of mewing technique is the proper tongue positioning and proper breathing.
– The correct tongue position is to be pressed against the palate over the entire area, especially in the posterior third.
– The correct way to breathe is through your nose.
Success in mewing is achieved by those who manage to make a habit of it and keep the proper tongue position at all times.
Now let’s look at this in more detail.
How to achieve the proper mewing tongue posture
A common method of achieving the correct tongue placement is called the “NG sound” method.
How to mew properly (step-by-step):
- Close your mouth, seal your lips and clench you teeth gently
- Say the word SING or KING
- Hold your tongue in the position where you say the -NG sound
- Feel your tongue touching the palate at the back.
- Breathe through your nose
- Make sure your tongue is not touching your front teeth
Congratulations, you have achieved the correct tongue position and know how to mew!
How to know if your tongue is in the right position for mewing
Beginners are often unsure whether they have reached the right tongue position. This is quite understandable, because at first it is difficult to understand where the posterior third of the tongue is and whether it is touching the palate.
Follow this checklist to ensure that you mew correctly:
- Make sure the tip of your tongue does not touch your front teeth
- Open your mouth and try breathing through your mouth. You shouldn’t be able to do this.
- Tongue pressure is evenly distributed
- Teeth are not clenched with force, only lightly touching
- You are capable of breathing through your nose
Mewing tongue posture diagram
It is often better to see once than to hear 100 times. So here we will show some diagrams and pictures showing the correct position of the tongue during mewing.
Mewing exercises
Strictly speaking, mewing is not an exercise. Mewing is simply the natural proper tongue position that provides a healthy structure to the face, jaw, and teeth. You should mew all the time, so it’s hard to call it an exercise.
However, there are exercises that can help you get results from mewing faster.
Exercises to help speed up the effect of mewing:
- Exercises to strengthen and develop the tongue muscle (hard mewing)
- Exercises to fix forward head posture (McKenzie Chin Tucks, Pec Stretch)
- Exercises for the jaw muscles (Chewing)
- Exercises for facial muscles (Face Yoga)
- Facial massage
Mewing before and after
There are thousands of before and after photos on the Internet, and new ones are added every day. We started collecting them for this article, but there are so many that we’ve set aside a separate article for it, where we’ve broken down examples by categories.
Benefits of mewing
Proper tongue positioning has many effects on facial structure and soft tissue.
But first, let’s look at how improper tongue position and mouth breathing over time can lead to a variety of health and appearance problems. In professional jargon this is called “mouth breather face”.
The tongue resting on the bottom of the mouth does not provide the necessary support to the facial bones and the palate becomes narrow. A narrow palate leaves little room for teeth and they become crooked. The tongue resting on the bottom of the mouth “pulls” the face down, resulting in a double chin, sagging skin and a receding chin. It also affects posture, leading to forward head posture and narrowing of the airways.
The goal of mewing is to counteract these changes by consciously breathing only through the nose and placing the tongue in the right place – pressed against the palate.
Example of facial degradation after the start of mouth breathing. This young man got a pet hamster, after which it turned out that he was allergic to hamsters. Because of his constantly stuffy nose, he started breathing through his mouth, which resulted in facial changes.
Can Mewing Change Your Face Shape?
Correct tongue posture can change the face, especially if the usual position of the tongue before was not pressed all the way to the palate.
Men often do mewing to emphasize their lower jaw and give their face a more masculine and attractive appearance.
Women like a tighter skin and the absence of a second chin, which makes the face look thinner and younger.
Health benefits of mewing
Mewing has benefits both in terms of health and aesthetics. It is difficult to draw a line between these concepts, because signs of good health are often beautiful, and generally accepted standards of beauty are signs of good health.
Mewing health benefits:
- Improved nasal breathing
- Less crooked teeth
- Reduced sleep apnea
- Fixed bite
Aesthetic benefits of mewing:
- Prominent jawline
- Wider and stronger jaw
- Tight skin under the chin
- Straight teeth
- Good posture
- Pronounced cheekbones
- Hollow cheeks
Mewing: x10 Your Looks
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Mewing for jawline
One of the most visible and desirable benefits of mewing is a strong and pronounced jaw.
Mewing allows you to achieve an attractive jawline by:
- tightening the skin under the chin
- protruding lower jaw forward
- improving overall posture
To get the best results, it is recommended to combine mewing with jawline exercises as well as proper chewing.
A few examples of how mewing can affect the jaw line in men and women:
Mewing for double chin
A double chin is a sagging skin under the jaw that gives the face a puffy look. Some skinny people have a double chin despite having no fat elsewhere.
In fact, a double chin can be caused not only by fat, but also by the improper tongue position.
The tongue resting on the bottom of the mouth pulls the skin down. A tongue pressed against the palate pulls it up. Mewing allows you to tone the tongue muscle and get rid of a double chin.
The nice thing is that getting rid of a double chin is one of the quickest benefits of mewing. Many achieve significant improvement after only a few weeks of practice.
Does mewing straighten teeth?
Mewing straightens the teeth through the expansion of the palate.
The tongue placed against the palate puts pressure on it, gradually expanding it. A wider palate provides more space for the teeth, allowing them to align and become less crooked. Here are some examples:
Expanding the palate is not as fast as tightening the soft tissues, so the results should be expected not earlier than a few months.
Mewing with overbite, underbite, open bite
- At the moment there are not enough reliable data on the effect of mewing on different types of bite, so our general recommendation is that if you have any dental conditions, consult your doctor before you start to actively practice mewing.
Mewing with overbite
Overbite – when your top front teeth hide more than 1/3 of the height of the lower front teeth. A lot of people have a little overbite. In more serious cases, overbite can lead to problems with your teeth, gums, and jaw pain.
Overbite can have genetic (congenital) causes as well as those caused by bad habits:
- finger sucking as a child
- using a pacifier after age 3
- improper position of the tongue in the mouth
Mewing can help with overbite if it was caused by improper positioning of the tongue in the mouth. However, it is important to realize that mewing causes the palate to widen and rise, not to draw it back.
At this point, there is inconsistent data about mewing with a strong overbite or underbite. Consult your doctor if you have this condition.
Mewing and sleep apnea
There are anecdotal cases where mewing has helped to reduce or completely get rid of snoring. Although there is little data on this topic, it looks plausible, because tongue strengthening exercises are one of the effective methods of snoring treatment.
If you suffer from sleep apnea or snoring, we suggest adding the following tongue-strengthening exercises to the mewing:
- Tongue slide: Place the tip of your tongue on the back of your upper front teeth. Slowly move it backward across your palate. Repeat 10-15 times.
- Tongue stretch: Stick out your tongue and try to touch it to your chin. Hold for ten seconds. Repeat five times.
- Tongue Push Up: Lower your tongue to the bottom of your mouth, then lift it up and press it firmly against your palate. Keep your tongue pressed down for 10 seconds, repeat 5 times.
Does mewing change your nose?
Although mouth breathing causes changes in the shape of the nose and the appearance of a hooked nose, mewing can only partially correct this if started at a very early age.
For adults, mewing cannot result in any noticeable change in the shape or size of the nose.
Mewing with asymmetry
All people have asymmetries in the structure of the body and face, it is natural and normal.
Asymmetries are possible not only in the visible part of the face, but also in the palate. The general recommendation in this case is to press the tongue harder in the part of the palate that is lower.
The psychological aspect is important here – if you look closely at the asymmetries in your face, they will begin to seem larger. Take reliable pictures under the same light and from the same angle and distance, so you don’t mislead yourself. Use the photo tool of the mewing app to take reliable progress photos.
Mewing effect on lips
Although some claim that mewing can make the lips fuller and the mouth wider, there is little evidence to prove it. So don’t be afraid that mewing will dramatically change your lips-it probably won’t.
How long does it take to see results from mewing?
The speed at which the effect of a mewing depends on many factors:
- What was your tongue position at the start
- Whether or not you were breathing through your mouth before
- How serious the double chin was
- How many hours a day you hold your tongue in the correct position
- Whether you are doing just mewing or a comprehensive approach (posture exercises, facial exercises, chewing)
So if you’re used to keeping your tongue in the bottom of your mouth, breathing through your mouth a lot and have a noticeable double chin, mewing can have a visible effect sooner than someone whose tongue is already in the right position, with a firm chin and developed jaw.
A certain percentage of people are “natural mewers,” which means that they’ve had their tongue pressed against their palate all their lives. They can only get mewing to work if they practice hard mewing. Simply because they have been doing soft mewing all their lives.
Also, your age has a direct impact on the effectiveness of mewing. The older you get, the slower the changes take place. After the age of 25, you can expect changes only in the soft tissues (double chin, jaw muscles, soft palate)
Where did mewing come from?
The mewing concept was articulated by the British orthodontist Dr. John Mew in “The aetiology of malocclusion”, published in 1981.
“The ideal development of the jaws and teeth is dependent on correct oral posture with the tongue resting on the palate, the lips sealed and the teeth in light contact for between four and eight hours a day.” Dr. John Mew
Later the mewing technique was practised by his son Dr. Mike Mew popularized on his YouTube channel. From there the idea was picked up by the general public and spread through reddit and social networks.
Does mewing work?
Since the concept of mewing is very new, it is natural that many people ask the question “is mewing legit” and “does mewing really work”?
The mewing community has tens of thousands of people, where progress pictures are posted daily. And while many people expect results too quickly, looking at those who have been doing it long enough, it’s hard to deny the difference between before and after photos. Check it out here.
How does mewing work?
Mewing leads to positive effects by changing the resting position of the tongue.
An exaggerated example of how mewing works is shown in this animation.
The tongue pressed against the palate puts pressure on the palate, which over time expands and creates more space for the teeth.
Also, the tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth tightens the skin under the chin, which gets rid of the double chin.
Lastly, tongue pressure on the palate allows the maxilla (the bone that forms your upper jaw) to move forward, resulting in more attractive facial features.
A comprehensive mewing approach also includes exercises to correct forward head posture.
Scientific basis for the effectiveness of mewing
At the moment there are no completed studies on mewing yet. But many of the principles behind mewing have scientific evidence.
- Interaction between deglutition, tongue posture, and malocclusion (2016)Research has proven that proper tongue positioning and correct swallowing leads to an expansion of the palate.
- Treatment and retention of relapsed anterior open-bite with low tongue posture and tongue-tie: A 10-year follow-upThis study showed how proper tongue positioning helped correct the open bite and achieve frontal maxilla growth. The results were double-checked after 10 years and were found to hold.
- Association between oral habits, mouth breathing and malocclusion – Grippaudo et al. (2016)“We found that mouth breathing is closely related to increased overjet, reduced overjet, anterior or posterior crossbite, open bite and displacement of contact points.”
- The Effects of Tongue Position on Mandibular Muscle Activity – Carlson et al. (1997)– This study found a correlation between the tongue resting on the roof of the mouth and stronger chewing muscles
There are many other studies confirming various aspects of mewing and the importance of nasal breathing and proper tongue positioning. However, mewing itself, as a new concept that became widespread only a couple of years ago, does not yet have sufficient scientific evidence for use in general medical practice.
Is Mewing Really Effective?
The most evidence we have for the effectiveness of mewing comes from the personal experience of people doing mewing on their own initiative, from their own words and photos.
By now so much information has been gathered that there is little doubt about the effectiveness of mewing.
We have compiled examples of mewing transformations in a separate article so that you can decide for yourself whether there is enough evidence for you or whether you want to wait for the official science to give its verdict.
Be prepared, however, that it takes many years to approve a new technology for use in official medicine.
Everything you need to for mewing in one app:
1. Learn the correct technique
2. Make it a habit
3.Track your progress
Mewing FAQ
How to start mewing
The easiest way to start mewing and be successful at it is to use the Mewing app. It has a well-rounded mewing training program, reminders to help you make mewing a habit, and a photo tool to help you track your progress.
How to do mewing correctly
Press your tongue against your palate over its entire area, especially in the posterior third. Gently clench your teeth and breathe through your nose. Hold this position throughout the day.
How to swallow properly while mewing
Proper swallowing involves using only your tongue to swallow, not helping with your cheeks or lips.
How to breathe while mewing
Many beginners have trouble breathing when they start mewing. Often they can’t breathe through their nose and feel a blockage in their throat.
Often the cause is tension of the wrong muscle. If you can’t breathe while mewing, relax the muscles at the back of your tongue just enough to be able to start breathing. It will be difficult at first, but over time your control of the tongue muscle will improve and you will be able to do it automatically.
Please note, if you have disturbances of nasal breathing, it is necessary to consult a specialist at first.
Mewing while sleeping
Mewing as you sleep is a common topic of concern for many people. There is logic in this – the correct position of the tongue should be maintained as long as possible, but how to control this during sleep?
If you notice that you are breathing through your mouth when sleeping, this can be solved by using mouth tapes. They are cheap and effective.
Symptoms that you may be breathing through your mouth while sleeping: dry mouth and bad breath after waking up.
Anyway, strengthening the tongue muscle and maintaining the right position when you’re awake will eventually train your body to hold that position while you sleep as well.
Should your teeth touch when mewing?
Yes, the teeth should touch, but not clench with force.
How long does mewing take?
Mewing is not a time-limited exercise, but a natural position of the tongue that you must hold at all times.
The speed at which results from mewing appear varies from person to person and depends on many factors, including age.
As a general rule, you should usually not expect results before the first 3-6 months.
Should the tongue touch the front teeth while mewing?
No, the tip of your tongue should not touch your front teeth. It should be on the ridged surface of the roof of your mouth (palatine rugae) behind your front teeth. This is where the tongue touches the palate when you say the N sound. Touching front teeth with a tongue can lead to the condition called tongue thrust. If you have this condition read our article on how to stop tongue thrusting.
How long should I mew a day?
You have to maintain the correct tongue position for the entire day.
Can you mew with braces, retainers, invisalign?
The braces are designed to change the position of the teeth, while the retainers are intended to maintain the achieved position. They are limiting the possibilities of mewing. We recommend that you talk to your dentist about whether you should try mewing with braces or retainers.
However, you are free to practice other methods to help you achieve a more pronounced jaw – facial exercises, jaw and tongue strengthening, posture exercises and nasal breathing.
Mewing mistakes and side effects
We have gathered the most frequent mistakes that beginners make, which alienate them from getting the desired result or can even lead to problems.
Can mewing ruin your face?
Mewing done correctly has a very low chance of ruining your face. Mewing techniques are designed to eliminate that possibility.
Nevertheless, mewing done incorrectly can lead to some problems, which we will discuss below. The good news here is that these changes can usually be reversed by correcting mistakes or simply returning to the previous position of the tongue.
Please note, if you have disturbances of the shape and position or symmetry of the jaws, it is necessary to consult a specialist.
Most common mewing mistakes
- Putting only the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth
Many beginners have done this, but it is wrong and will not lead to the desired result. It is absolutely necessary to engage the back third of the tongue.
- Touching the front teeth with your tongue and applying pressure
Not only does this position not allow for proper pressure on the palate and maxilla, but it also puts unnecessary pressure on the front teeth. Over time, this can lead to gaps between the teeth and overbite.
A common mistake that beginners make in trying to increase pressure on the palate is to strain the tongue and make it “narrow”. Don’t do this and make sure that the tongue is pressed flat and wide, taking up all the space between the molars.
Many people who suffer from mouth breathing get used to keeping their mouth slightly open. This is poor oral posture and is worth getting rid of. Lips should be kept sealed during mewing.
Poor posture can include hunched back posture, forward shoulders, and anterior pelvic tilt. This all leads to forward head posture. To compensate for this and to look forward and not under your feet, you tilt your head back. In this position it becomes very difficult to press the back third of the tongue to the palate. That’s why posture exercises are such an integral part of the mewing approach.
- Not paying attention to consistency
This is probably one of the main reasons why some people don’t get results from mewing or get them much later than they could. Mewing requires persistence and consistency. New habits are difficult to instill, everyone knows that. But it’s especially hard to develop habits that you have to stick to 24/7.
Using reminders is absolutely essential to developing such a habit. Some people set a hundred alarm clocks, but we came up with a better option and created the mewing.app. The app has a powerful reminder system that can be set to remind you up to every 10 minutes, then gradually make it less frequent and turn it off when it becomes a habit. In addition, it has everything you need to get results from mewing – a training program combining all the most important techniques, videos of exercises, checklists, progress tracking.
Mewing side effects
Even if you do everything correctly, there is still a chance of side effects. They are rare, but we have collected what people have mentioned.
Mewing side effect:
- Headaches. Probably caused by movement and unusual strain on the bones of the face and teeth. Usually goes away after a few days of rest.
- Soreness. This is probably one of the most common side effects. As with the training of any muscle, after the first exercise it may be sore for a few days. The tongue is no exception and you may feel sore in the tongue, under the chin, on the neck and face for a few days after you start mewing.
- Psychological distress. Paying a lot of attention to your tongue position can lead you to lose peace by constantly worrying about whether your optimal position has been reached. This is normal and happens to many people. Don’t overdo it and in a couple of weeks you’ll get used to the new tongue position and stop paying so much attention to it.
Mewing and TMJ Disorder
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ), is what connects your jaw to the skull. The temporomandibular disorder (TMD) happens when there is a pain in the joint or the muscles that control the jaw. This can be due to various factors: genetics, arthritis, jaw injuries.
Because mewing engages the muscles of the tongue and jaw, there is a chance that mewing increases the chances of getting TMD if not practiced correctly.
The most risky technique may be hard mewing, when the tongue is pressed down with considerable force. If you begin to feel any symptoms of TMD – discomfort or pain in the joint area or jaw pain – stop hard mewing immediately. Limit yourself to soft mewing – keeping your tongue pressed against your palate without using extra force.
Does mewing help TMJ?
There are some cases that claim mewing helps with TMD and alleviate pain in TMJ. Mewing can probably help if the disorder is caused by poor oral posture. In any case, we recommend that you consult your doctor before making any decisions.
Mewing tools
There are many different tools and devices that can help you achieve success in mewing. We will list a few of them.
Mewing apps
- Mewing.app is a must have app for anyone involved in mewing. It has all the tools and knowledge you need to start and succeed in mewing. It is also the only app with a training program that combines not only mewing but also other important exercises: posture and facial exercises, proper chewing, mealtime exercises, etc.
Jaw exercisers
Jawline exercisers exist in different formats and types, but they have one thing in common – they allow you to safely and controllably put stress on the jaw muscles.
- Jawliner can greatly accelerate the appearance of visually visible results. It is a convenient way to give stress to the masseter jaw muscles and build a stronger jaw.
- Mastic Gum and Falim Gum are popular replacements for regular gum. It is tougher and more durable and can be used for simple chewing as well as tongue chewing. Read our article on does chewing gum help jawline.
Mouth strips
- Mouth strips like SomniFix are a great way to get rid of mouth breathing while you sleep. They are very popular and cheap and can really improve tongue positioning while you sleep.
Mewing appliance
- Mewing appliance can help if you have difficulty achieving the correct tongue position. It is a rubber ring that is placed on your tongue so you can see if your tongue is touching your palate evenly or not.
Resources:
- https://www.healthline.com/health/mewing
- https://www.joms.org/article/S0278-2391(19)30349-0/fulltext#relatedArticles
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26894981/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4130916/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5225794/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9656904/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Mewing/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/orthotropics/
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6808091/Mewing-technique-coined-Dr-Mike-Mew-changes-face-shape.html
