Mewing

Mewing was popularized by British orthodontist Dr. Mike Mew, who claims that proper tongue posture can influence jaw development, midface projection, and overall facial aesthetics over time. The idea is that keeping your tongue pressed against the palate — not just the tip, but the full body of the tongue — encourages upward and forward facial growth. Results are heavily debated: younger people with developing bones might see changes, but adults hoping to reshape their skull through tongue pressure alone are probably coping. Still, it costs nothing and at minimum promotes better breathing habits.

How to Mew Correctly

The technique:

1. Tongue position — full tongue body flat against the palate, including the back third. Most beginners only press the tip; that’s not mewing.
2. Lip seal — lips closed, breathing through the nose. Mouth-breathing while “mewing” defeats the purpose.
3. Teeth contact — molars lightly touching, no grinding pressure. Don’t clench.
4. Posture — head balanced over shoulders, chin slightly tucked, ears over shoulders in profile. Forward head posture cancels any potential mewing benefit.

You should be able to swallow without your tongue dropping off the palate. If swallowing requires sucking the tongue down first, you’ve learned an incorrect tongue posture and mewing is fixing it.

Children vs Adults — What the Research Says

The mid-palatal suture (where the upper jaw bones meet) is mobile during childhood and gradually fuses through adolescence. By 25, it’s typically closed enough that no amount of tongue pressure will reshape the maxilla.

Younger people (8-16) have legitimate growth potential and orthodontic literature does describe tongue-posture effects on dental arch development. The Mew family’s clinical work — particularly with children using “orthotropics” appliances — has more support than the adult-mewing claims do.

For adults: the structural changes Mew claims (lifted maxilla, forward midface projection) are not supported by current evidence. What likely is happening: muscle hypertrophy in the tongue and lower face, slight tightening of the under-jaw area, and possibly improved breathing if mouth-breathing was a problem. None of this is “skull remodeling.”

What’s Believable About Mike Mew’s Claims

The defensible parts:

• Tongue posture affects breathing and swallowing — true and well-documented.
• Mouth-breathing in childhood correlates with elongated face shape — supported by research.
• Better posture (jaw and head) makes faces look better — obviously true.
• Children can benefit from early intervention on tongue position — plausible and partially supported.

The cope parts:

• “Adult skull remodeling from tongue pressure” — no evidence.
• “Mewing for 12 months will give you a chad jawline” — very unlikely if your bone structure isn’t there.
• Mid-face lift claims — not supported.

How to Tell If You’re Doing It Right

Real signs of progress (over months, not weeks):

• Tongue posture becomes automatic — you notice when you’ve dropped, vs having to remember to lift.
• Less drooling at night, less morning dry mouth.
• Reduced jaw clenching during sleep (if you had this).
• Slight tightening under the chin.
• Better nasal breathing during exercise.

Signs you’re doing it wrong:

• Sore jaw, TMJ pain, popping joints — you’re clenching, not posturing.
• Tongue cramps — you’re using force instead of relaxation.
• No change in tongue resting position after 3 months — you’re not actually maintaining the posture, just doing it consciously a few times a day.

Adjacent Practices Worth Doing

Things often bundled with mewing that may have independent benefit:

• Mastic gum / hard chewing — masseter hypertrophy, modest jawline effect. See chad jawline.
• Chin tucks and posture work — fixes forward head posture, improves apparent jaw line.
• Nasal breathing training — reduces mouth-breathing patterns, improves sleep, and shifts daytime tongue posture toward palate by default.
• Swallowing pattern correction — myofunctional therapy addresses tongue-thrust patterns that mewing alone won’t fix.

Mewing alone is a small input. Mewing as part of a posture-and-breathing-pattern overhaul is more meaningful.

What Not to Do

Skip bonesmashing (separate harmful trend), avoid “hard mewing” (forcing tongue pressure aggressively), and don’t expect visible changes in weeks. Aggressive mewing produces TMJ problems, not faster results.

See also: chad jawline, bonesmashing, softmaxxing.