https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sutura_frontolacrimalis.png Henry Vandyke Carter, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Deborah Tosline wrote and published “Skin Remodeling DIY: An Introduction to the Underground World of Do-It-Yourself Skincare” in 2015. Her approach to skin care is based on a scientific background, love of research and over 40 years of DIY skincare experience.
Mewing is a mouth posture invented by Dr. Mike Mew that maintains closed lips, uses constant nose breathing and rests the tongue against the roof of the mouth to develop a healthy facial profile.
I’ve practiced Do-It-Yourself skin care for decades and over time, I realized that facial care requires more than skin care and facial muscle exercises. Holistic and effective facial care requires proper head and neck posture and strong facial bones. I increasingly integrated bone strengthening exercises into my DIY facial routine. I began mewing in 2019 and continue to this day. I’ve chewed hard whole grain foods from the time that I was 19 (1979) and remember funnily thinking that I ate like a cave person, slowly chewing hard grains. More recently I began chewing mastic gum to further strengthen my jaw muscles and bones. I wrote about facial bone health and mewing in an August 2019 article. I published an article solely on mewing in May 2023.
In this article, I summarize Dr. Mike Mew’s YouTube video that premiered on Dec 27, 2023 and is titled Dr. Mike Mew's Ultimate Mewing Guide | BEGINNER.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cranium_-_sutura_detail.jpg MAKY.OREL, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The skull contains cracks or sutures along which the bone may grow when pressure is applied. The palate also contains a suture that allows for expansion of the upper jaw.
Dr. Mike Mew’s grandfather was a practioner who used expanders to improve facial profiles. Dr. Mew’s father Professor John Mew discovered the facial profile records and invented Orthotropics which uses non-invasive methods to grow facial bones. Dr. Mike Mew is the current expert in Orthotropics and inventor of mewing.
Dr. Mew’s video contains a brief overview of ancestral dental profiles, orthodentistry, orthotropics and more. Orthodentistry attributes dental abnormalities to genetics. However, evidence shows that environmental conditions influence the facial profile. Historic photographs show that our ancestors possessed straight aligned teeth from birth to death. What changed? Our environment.
Our ancestors ate hard foods that took time to chew. Hard foods promote broad wide jaws and prominent cheekbones. Modern diets consist of soft processed foods that are easy to chew. Soft foods promote a smaller recessed jaw.
The Mew’s analyzed patient facial profiles and proper jaw development for over 60 years. Their research shows that:
Proper teeth alignment is dependent on tongue position.
Mouth breathing causes the jaw to descend and retreat. The maxilla (nose region) follows the recessed jaw in a downward progression resulting in crowded teeth and facial profile asymmetry. Mouth breathing reduces airway space that may cause associated life-threatening conditions.
Nose breathing with the mouth closed propels the jaw forward, improves the shape and alignment of the teeth, supports the maxilla, promotes a wide jaw and provides access to a full airway. When the tongue is in a vacuum with the palate, the chin skin pulls up and tucks under the chin.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maxilla_image.png Images are generated by Life Science Databases(LSDB)., CC BY-SA 2.1 JP <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
The Mew’s research shows that mewing can:
improve facial profile
align teeth
accentuate cheek bones
sharpen jawline
straighten nose
diminish wrinkles
improve airways
reduce snoring and sleep apnea
Moving the maxilla forward is key to a balanced facial structure. There are surgical solutions but they are invasive with high costs and potential health risks. Orthotropics uses natural non-surgical methods to guide facial bones into a healthy symmetrical posture. Mewing is free, organic and only requires consistency.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gray189.png Henry Vandyke Carter, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Detailed instructions are available on Dr. Mew’s video. Before beginning mewing it is important to adopt belly or diaphragmatic breathing and to fix overall body posture.
Mewing involves breathing through the nose, keeping the lips closed, proper tongue placement and application of pressure to the roof of the mouth with the tongue while swallowing. Instructions are available on Dr. Mew’s Ultimate Mewing Guide | BEGINNER video at 17:49 minutes for:
N – spot tip of tongue placement
Cheezy swallow
Mona Lisa swallow
Suction hold
McKenzie chin tuck
Follow Professor John Mew’s simple tip: “Lips together, teeth together and tongue on the roof of the mouth.”
Chewing hard foods and hard gum is important to maintain jaw strength. Before transitioning to hard foods, have the jaw checked for abnormalities. Slowly integrate hard food chewing into your routine and avoid soft food. Chew hard gum such as mastic for 2-3 hours daily.
The Mew’s conducted twin studies and the before and after photos show remarkable facial structure transformations that can result from using orthotropics and mewing for proper facial posture.
If you want to begin mewing and would like assistance, Dr. Mew developed a mewing app titled The Comprehensive Guide to Mewing. There is a link to the app on Dr. Mew’s YouTube video.
The Mew’s, orthodentistry, orthotropics and mewing are featured in the documentary titled Open Wide (2023) currently available on Netflix. Like so many nature-based solutions, mewing is under scrutiny by the establishment. Dr. Mike Mew is under threat of losing his license to practice.
I’ve mewed consistently for about 5 years. I will always mew. When I began to practice mewing, the posture felt comfortable and natural. Transitioning from mouth breathing to nose breathing is different for everyone. After one week, I awoke to find that my tongue was resting against the roof of my mouth and that I was breathing through my nose. I knew then that my body had easily adapted to mewing and that I had regained my natural tongue posture. From that time, I’ve breathed through my nose day and night with few exceptions. Before beginning mewing, I wondered how I would constantly breath through my nose only to find that mewing opened my nasal passages to promote nose breathing ease.
I did not take appropriate photos or x-rays of my jaw before and after mewing. I feel content knowing that the vacuum suction of my tongue on my palate and swallowing pressure support my nose and cheeks in an upward and outward movement needed for a broad jaw and prominent cheekbones. I want the pressure of my tongue to support a wide upper palate to fill my smile with teeth.
Isn’t it amazing that the body has the flexibility to evolve over time? There is nothing to lose and everything to gain by embracing and implementing mewing into your routine.
If you need more information, check out the local library, search the Internet, or check out my past Blog articles. It would be an honor to me if you purchased my facial care book. Thank you!
Take good care of yourselves!
XO Deborah
This article is intended to be used as general information only and is in no way intended to replace medical advice, be used as a medical treatment program, diagnosis, or cure of any disease or medical condition. There are no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the effectiveness of the practices described in this article. Products or substances discussed herein are for educational purposes only and are not intended as recommendations of the author.