Mewing

The Orthotropics Theory:

Dr. John Mew developed "orthotropics," proposing that facial structure is largely determined by oral posture during development, not just genetics.

Core Principles:

Proper Tongue Posture:

• Entire tongue resting on palate (not just tip)
• Back third of tongue engaged
• Creates upward and forward pressure
• Promotes horizontal facial growth

Mouth Breathing Effects:

• Tongue drops to floor of mouth
• Face grows longer and narrower
• "Long face syndrome" or "adenoid facies"
• Recessed chin and jaw
• Narrower palate

Why It Matters:

• Tongue applies ~500g of force to palate
• Over time, this shapes bone (Wolff's Law)
• Children's bones are more malleable
• Adult bones can still remodel, but slowly

Wolff's Law:

Bone adapts to the loads placed upon it. The tongue's constant pressure theoretically shapes the maxilla and influences overall facial development.

The Adult Question:

• Sutures fuse around age 25
• Adult bone remodeling is slower
• Soft tissue changes are possible
• Dramatic skeletal changes less likely

Airway Connection:

• Proper tongue posture supports nasal breathing
• May reduce sleep apnea risk
• Related to Nasal Breathing and Mouth Taping

The Mewing Technique:

Basic Position:

1. Close your mouth with lips gently sealed
2. Place the TIP of your tongue behind upper front teeth (not touching)
3. Press the MIDDLE of your tongue to the palate
4. Engage the BACK of your tongue against the soft palate
5. Keep teeth lightly touching or slightly apart
6. Breathe through your nose

The "Suction Hold":

1. Say "sing" and notice where tongue hits palate on "ng"
2. Keep tongue in that position
3. Create slight suction to hold tongue up
4. This engages the posterior third

Common Mistakes:

Progression:

Week 1-2: Awareness

• Check tongue position frequently
• Set hourly reminders
• Practice for 5-10 minutes consciously

Week 3-4: Building Habit

• Increase conscious practice
• Focus on maintaining during activities
• Practice during sleep (mouth tape may help)

Month 2+: Automation

• Should become more automatic
• Continue checking periodically
• May take 6-12 months for true habit

Advanced: Hard Mewing

• Pressing tongue more firmly
• Controversial - may cause TMJ issues
• Not recommended for beginners

Complementary Practices:

• Nasal Breathing - Essential for mewing
• Mouth Taping - Maintains position during sleep
• Chewing hard foods or mastic gum - Jaw development
• Good head/neck posture - Affects tongue position

Generally Low Risk:

Mewing is essentially just proper tongue posture. Risks are minimal when done correctly.

Potential Issues:

Hard Mewing Risks:

• TMJ dysfunction
• Jaw pain
• Headaches
• Tooth movement (uncontrolled)
• Not recommended

Who Should Be Cautious:

• Those with TMJ disorders
• People in active orthodontic treatment
• Those with jaw pain
• Anyone with dental work concerns

When to Stop:

• Persistent jaw pain
• Clicking or popping in jaw
• Headaches
• Tooth sensitivity

Realistic Expectations:

The main risk is psychological - expecting dramatic adult facial changes and being disappointed. Set realistic expectations for modest benefits.

Risk Level: LOW. Proper tongue posture is natural and generally beneficial. Avoid "hard mewing" and excessive force.

May Benefit:

Children/Adolescents (Best Candidates):

• Growing children with developing faces
• Kids with mouth breathing habits
• Those with narrow palates
• Children with orthodontic concerns
• Ages 4-18 (bones still developing)

Adults:

• Those with poor tongue posture habits
• Mouth breathers wanting to switch to nasal
• People interested in facial aesthetics (modest expectations)
• Those with mild sleep-disordered breathing
• Anyone wanting better oral posture

Related Conditions:

• Mouth breathing
• Snoring
• Mild sleep apnea
• Forward head posture
• "Tongue thrust" swallowing

Probably Won't Help Much:

• Adults expecting dramatic bone changes
• Those with severe skeletal issues (need orthodontics/surgery)
• People with established jaw deformities

Consider Myofunctional Therapy If:

• Difficulty maintaining tongue posture
• Tongue tie suspected
• Swallowing dysfunction
• Want professional guidance

What to Track:

Photos (Most Important):

• Same lighting, angle, distance
• Profile view (most relevant)
• Front view
• Take monthly
• Don't expect visible changes for 6-12+ months

Photo Protocol:

Subjective Tracking:

• Ease of nasal breathing
• Tongue posture awareness (1-10)
• Any jaw discomfort
• Sleep quality
• Snoring (if applicable)

Habit Tracking:

• Times per day you catch mouth open
• Percentage of day with proper posture
• Sleep position maintenance

Realistic Timeline:

• Week 1-4: Building awareness
• Month 2-6: Habit formation
• Month 6-12: Soft tissue changes possible
• Year 1+: Any bone changes (modest in adults)

What NOT to Expect:

• Dramatic changes in weeks
• Visible bone restructuring as adult
• Instagram transformation results

Tongue Posture Aids:

• Mewing.coach - App for reminders and tracking
• Various reminder apps

Complementary Products:

• Mouth Tape - Hostage Tape, Somnifix, 3M Micropore
• Mastic Gum - Amazon options
• Jawzrsize - Jaw exercise device (controversial)
• Chisell - Jaw exercise device

Finding Practitioners:

• Orthotropics practitioners - orthotropics.com
• Myofunctional therapists - aomtinfo.org
• Airway-focused dentists - Search "airway dentist" locally

Educational Resources:

• Orthotropics YouTube channel (Dr. Mike Mew)
• The Mewing Community subreddit (r/mewing)
• Note: Online before/afters are often misleading

Self-Practice:

• Free
• Just requires awareness and consistency

Myofunctional Therapy:

• Initial evaluation: $100-200
• Treatment program: $500-2,000
• Helpful for tongue tie, swallowing issues

Related Interventions:

Orthodontic Devices (If Needed):

• Palate expanders: $2,000-5,000
• Myobrace: $3,000-8,000
• DNA appliance: $5,000-10,000
• ALF appliance: $3,000-7,000

Professional Help:

• Orthotropic dentist: Varies
• Myofunctional therapist: $500-2,000

Value Assessment:

Mewing itself is free. If serious about facial development, professional evaluation may be worthwhile, especially for children.

Key Figures:

• Dr. John Mew - British orthodontist, founder of orthotropics
• Dr. Mike Mew - Son, popularized mewing on YouTube
• Dr. Kevin Boyd - Pediatric dentist, facial development focus
• Dr. Weston A. Price - Historical research on traditional diets and facial development

Online Presence:

• Orthotropics YouTube (700k+ subscribers)
• Reddit r/mewing (200k+ members)
• TikTok mewing community (billions of views)
• Looksmaxxing communities

Controversy:

• Dr. Mike Mew was removed from British Orthodontic Society
• Mainstream orthodontics is skeptical
• Debate continues about adult bone remodeling
• Before/after photos often problematic

Celebrity Mentions:

• Various fitness influencers discuss mewing
• Part of broader "looksmaxxing" culture
• Viral on TikTok and YouTube

Why It's Popular:

• Free and accessible
• Viral before/after photos (often misleading)
• Appeals to facial aesthetics desire
• Has basis in actual developmental biology
• Low effort once habituated

Common Claims:

• "Changed my jawline"
• "Better breathing"
• "Reduced snoring"
• "Face looks more defined"

The Reality:

Many dramatic before/afters are confounded by: - Weight loss (reduces face fat) - Puberty (ongoing development) - Lighting and angles - Photo manipulation - Placebo/confirmation bias

What's More Likely True:

• Improved breathing habits
• Better oral posture awareness
• Modest soft tissue changes
• Psychological benefits from taking action

Community:

• Large online following
• Mix of reasonable practitioners and extreme claims
• Be skeptical of dramatic transformation claims

Breathing Stack:

• Mewing (tongue posture)
• Nasal Breathing - Essential complement
• Mouth Taping - Maintains posture during sleep
• CO2 Tolerance Training - Breathing efficiency

Facial Development Stack:

• Mewing (tongue posture)
• Hard food chewing / mastic gum
• Good head/neck posture
• Myofunctional exercises

Sleep Quality Stack:

• Mewing + mouth taping
• Sleep Environment
• Side sleeping position
• Elevated head if snoring

Posture Stack:

• Mewing (oral posture)
• Chin tucks (neck posture)
• Shoulder blade squeezes
• Overall postural awareness

For Children:

• Mewing training
• Hard food diet
• Nasal breathing emphasis
• Early orthodontic evaluation
• Myofunctional therapy if needed