Does mewing work?
There is no good evidence that mewing, pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth, reshapes an adult jaw or straightens teeth. The American Association of Orthodontists says tongue placement alone cannot correct misaligned teeth or reshape the jawline, and uneven pressure may affect the bite or jaw joint. A relaxed tongue-up resting posture is fine; for real changes to teeth or jaws, Creative Arts' specialist orthodontists in Dubai can assess what is possible.
Who treats you here Dr. Muhannad Kazzaz Specialist Orthodontist · Dr. Valeriia Kozachenko Specialist Orthodontist
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What is mewing, and why is everyone talking about it?
Mewing is a set of posture instructions that spread through social media: rest the whole tongue flat against the roof of the mouth, keep the lips together, let the back teeth touch lightly or sit just apart, and breathe through the nose. Videos promise a sharper jawline, higher cheekbones, straighter teeth and even a different face shape, usually with before-and-after photos.
The idea borrows from something real. The tongue, lips and cheeks press on the teeth all day, and in growing children the resting position of the tongue and the way they breathe can influence how the upper jaw and teeth develop. Orthodontists see this in children with a tongue that rests low or pushes forward between the teeth, which can contribute to an open bite. The leap from that to "an adult can reshape their jaw with their tongue" is where the evidence runs out.
Does mewing work? The claims compared with the evidence
A plain summary of what is claimed online and what is known.
| Claim | What is known | Bottom line |
|---|---|---|
| It sharpens an adult's jawline | Adult jaw bones have finished growing; posture cannot add bone length. The AAO says there is no current research showing a benefit to the jawline. | Not supported |
| It straightens crooked teeth | Tongue placement alone cannot correct misaligned teeth, according to the AAO. Teeth need controlled, directed forces to move predictably. | Not supported |
| It fixes an overbite or underbite | Bite problems with a jaw component are corrected with orthodontics, growth-guided appliances in children or jaw surgery in adults. | Not supported |
| It changes a child's facial growth | Breathing and tongue posture can influence growth, but home mewing has not been tested as a treatment. | Unproven; assess the cause |
| It is harmless to try | A relaxed resting posture is fine. Hard or uneven pushing may affect tooth alignment, the bite or the jaw joint. | Gentle posture only |
Online before-and-after photos usually differ in head angle, lighting, weight or camera lens. They are not evidence of bone change.
Can tongue posture change jaw shape in adults?
Jaw growth slows and largely stops in the late teens, earlier in girls than boys. After that, the size and position of the upper and lower jaws are set by the bone itself. Light, steady pressure from the tongue can, over long periods, influence where teeth sit, which is exactly why a tongue that pushes between the teeth can hold a gap or an open bite. But that same pressure has no known way to lengthen a lower jaw or widen an adult upper jaw.
The American Association of Orthodontists states that there is no current research suggesting mewing provides any benefit to the jawline or oral health, and that tongue placement alone cannot reshape the jaw. It points to orthodontic appliances and, in severe cases, corrective jaw surgery as the methods that actually move teeth and jaws.
Why, then, do some people look different after weeks of mewing? The most likely reasons are simple: holding the head slightly up and the chin forward, tensing the muscles under the chin, losing weight, or a different photo angle. Those changes are real in the photo but they are not a change in bone, and they disappear when posture relaxes.
Can mewing fix crooked teeth or a gap?
No. Teeth move when a steady force pushes them in a planned direction for long enough, and the bone around the root remodels in response. Braces and aligners deliver that force tooth by tooth and are adjusted as each tooth responds. The tongue presses broadly against the palate and the inside of the upper teeth; it cannot pick which tooth to rotate, which to pull back or how far.
If anything, the AAO warns, pressing unevenly can push teeth the wrong way, opening gaps or worsening crowding. The same is true of other home methods for moving teeth: our guide to DIY gap bands explains why closing spaces at home can cost the teeth themselves. For crowding, our crooked teeth page sets out the options from aligners to braces.
Never hit or press on your jaw to reshape it
Some online trends go beyond tongue posture and encourage tapping or striking the face to "remodel" the bones. Bone does not respond that way, and repeated blows risk fractures, nerve injury and damage to the teeth. If you have done this and have pain, numbness or a change in your bite, get it checked.
Can mewing cause harm to the bite or jaw joint?
A relaxed resting posture with the tongue up, lips together and teeth apart is what many clinicians would call normal. Problems come from effort: pushing the tongue hard into the palate for hours, clenching the back teeth together to "hold" the jaw, or jutting the lower jaw forward. The AAO notes that improper tongue pressure may affect the bite and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), and can cause speech difficulties.
Signs that a posture habit is doing more harm than good include:
- Aching jaw muscles, especially in the morning or after holding the posture.
- Clicking, locking or pain in front of the ear.
- Headaches at the temples.
- Sore or sensitive teeth from clenching.
- New gaps or a bite that feels different.
If you notice these, stop and have the jaw checked. Our specialist orthodontist Dr. Valeriia Kozachenko focuses on jaw function and carries out TMJ assessments.
Is mewing a good idea for children?
Children are where tongue position and breathing matter most, because the jaws are still growing. That is also why it is worth looking for the cause rather than teaching a posture from a video. A child who cannot keep the lips closed or the tongue up may have blocked nasal breathing from large adenoids, tonsils or allergies, a tongue-tie, a thumb-sucking habit, or teeth that stick out so far that the lips cannot meet. Each has a different answer, some medical rather than dental.
Our guides to mouth breathing in children and myofunctional appliances explain how habits are assessed. Where the lower jaw is set back in a growing child, orthodontists may consider a growth-guided appliance; our guide to the twin block appliance explains when that applies. An orthodontic check by about age 7 is a sensible first step.
Unhappy with your bite, crooked teeth or jaw position? Our specialist orthodontists in Dubai examine the teeth and jaws, explain what treatment can realistically change, and write the options down.
See orthodonticsWhat actually changes teeth, the bite and the jawline?
The treatments that have evidence behind them, from least to most involved. Which one, if any, suits you depends on whether the issue is the teeth, the jaws or the soft tissue.
| Concern | What can help | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Crooked or gapped teeth | Clear aligners or fixed braces | Tooth position; small effects on lip support |
| Upper teeth that stick out in a growing child | Orthodontics, sometimes with a growth-guided appliance | Tooth position and, during growth, some jaw relationship |
| Upper teeth that stick out in an adult | Braces or aligners, sometimes with extractions | Tooth position; the jaw difference is disguised, not changed |
| A clearly retruded or protruding jaw | Orthodontics combined with corrective jaw surgery | Jaw position and facial profile |
| Jaw pain, clicking or clenching | TMJ assessment, then conservative care first | Symptoms and protection of the teeth |
No treatment can promise a particular face. Changes to the profile depend on the starting point and are discussed with photos and X-rays.
What should you do instead of mewing?
Keep the useful part and drop the rest. Resting the tongue on the palate, lips together, breathing through the nose and keeping the teeth apart when not chewing is a comfortable default for most people. Do not force it, clench, or hold the jaw forward.
If what bothers you is the look of your teeth, an adult orthodontic assessment shows what aligners or braces can do. If it is the jaw itself, the honest answer may be that only corrective jaw surgery changes bone position, and many people decide the difference is not worth surgery. Our guide on whether braces change face shape and the normal bite self-check help you frame the question before you book.