What It Is, How To Do It and Results

Mewing sounds like something cats do, but it has nothing to do with felines. It’s actually a tongue exercise that’s gaining popularity through social media. The goal is to reshape the face, especially the jawline.

Family medicine practitioner Colleen Clayton, MD, gives the lowdown on what mewing is, whether it’s worth doing and the potential risks.

What is mewing?

“Mewing is an exercise you do with your tongue several times a day,” explains Dr. Clayton. “It’s a technique that some people feel might help change the aesthetics of the face or jawline.”

Mewing gets its name from Dr. John Mew, an orthodontist who developed the technique in the 1970s for use in his children and patients. He believed mewing would correct misalignments in the teeth, sinuses, jaw and facial structure.

He also thought it could help with problems related to speech, sleep apnea, breathing and other issues associated with the jaw, teeth and sinuses.

But mewing’s current popularity on social media has more to do with aesthetics and less with medical concerns.

“Today, most people mew for cosmetic purposes,” she adds.

How to mew

There are a few minor variations in how people mew, but the basic steps are:

1. Place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind your teeth, in the position to make the “n” sound.
2. Close your lips and lightly close your teeth.
3. Flatten your tongue against the roof of your mouth and feel your jaw muscles engage.
4. Hold the position for 20 seconds and then rest.
5. Repeat several times a day.

Does mewing work?

Doing tongue exercises a few times a day to relieve sinus and jaw problems and even sharpen your facial features sounds great. But does mewing actually work?

“Unfortunately, research doesn’t support using mewing for any of these things,” clarifies Dr. Clayton. “The evidence soundly suggests that it isn’t effective for any of the claims.”

In fact, Dr. Mew lost his dental license because of unorthodox practices such as mewing.

Why doesn’t mewing work?

Mewing isn’t specific or strong enough to significantly change dental or facial features.

“This simple tongue exercise isn’t a robust enough treatment,” stresses Dr. Clayton. “It’s just not a fix.”

But if it doesn’t work, why is it so popular?

“It’s easy to get caught up in social media fads that aren’t scientifically tested or don’t have research to back them up — especially if they promise a ‘quick fix’ for problems,” she continues. “Sometimes, these types of things quickly go viral, and there isn’t any data to support them. In the case of mewing, however, there is data — that it doesn’t work.”

What are the risks of mewing?

Doing mewing tongue exercises might seem harmless, but it may not be. Ironically, mewing can worsen jaw tension and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.

Mewing can also make your teeth more crooked, not less.

“Using these muscles in mewing can sometimes change the position of teeth, especially in kids and teenagers, causing worse misalignment,” warns Dr. Clayton.

This potential misalignment is due to the lack of specificity in mewing. Braces, in contrast, move teeth precisely, correct bite problems and create an aesthetic smile.

“See your dentist or orthodontist to accomplish things like widening your palate (the roof of your mouth) or straightening your teeth,” she advises. “They’ll do it in an effective and evidence-based way.”

As for aesthetics, if you truly want to reshape your jawline, you’ll probably need something a little more drastic than tongue exercises.

Reshaping your jawline or face normally requires more invasive treatments, such as:

• Fillers
• Facial contouring
• Plastic surgery such as jaw implants

Bottom line?

Mewing doesn’t work, and there are other accepted and proven treatments for everything it claims to correct.

“You’re better off seeing your primary care provider, dentist or orthodontist,” states Dr. Clayton. “A provider can help you address your specific needs. And we’re always happy to field questions about things that come up on social media.”