(But not actually everything you need to know, because many others on the internet have talked about mewing EXTENSIVELY. I hope to flesh this page out with more resources eventually, but for now, this very basic primer was last updated 4/8/2019.
What is mewing?
“Mewing” is a term coined by followers of Mike Mew (and his father, John Mew) to describe all of the actions/exercises involved in developing and maintaining proper tongue (and to a lesser extent, lip/cheek/jaw) posture. In addition to keeping the tongue in its rightful place on the roof of the mouth, this also includes things like proper chewing/swallowing technique and various tongue exercises.
(That’s the broader definition. Alternately, “mewing” can sometimes simply refer to maintaining proper tongue posture on the roof of the mouth.)
Mewing has started to pick up steam as an underground/fringe movement, and is notably popular among incel communities. (If you aren’t familiar with the term “incel,” I’ll let urban dictionary educate you.)
Who came up with mewing?
Mewing is the creation and namesake of Dr. Mike Mew, who holds a BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery; the UK equivalent of a DDS in the US) and an MSc in Orthodontics.
From his website: “Lecturer and lead clinician at the London School of Facial Orthotropics, Dr Mike Mew lectures and teaches extensively around the world. His personal interest is in the growth and development of the face, identify the effects of changes in posture, function and muscle tone and its relationship to orthodontic problems. Dr Mike Mew uses the orthotropics system to reverse the underlying conditions that lead to crooked teeth, sleep apnea, snoring and TMD, amongst a range of other symptoms.”
Why is mewing important?
Unlike surgery or orthodontic/orthotropic appliances, mewing addresses the root cause of dental and facial malformation. The bones of the face, palate, and teeth develop during adolescence as a direct result of the forces acting upon them, and the tongue and facial muscles are responsible for those forces.
Likewise, mewing is the only lasting solution to what Mike Mew terms “craniofacial dystrophy.” Because bones continuously remodel in response to forces, proper tongue posture is necessary to maintain any progress that might have been made using orthodontic appliances.
Where can I learn more about mewing?
There are now several Youtube channels dedicated to mewing and similar topics, and information related to mewing is becoming more readily available online.
While this is great for spreading the word, bear in mind that not everyone on the internet is concerned with presenting information fairly and accurately. John and Mike Mew should be your first and most trusted sources of information, and it’s probably best to take other information with a grain of salt. (The size of the salt grain of course being proportional to their training, sources, and whatever the heck else they’re basing their claims off of.)
SO, without further ado…
Here is Mike Mew’s YouTube channel, which is the primary source for everything mew-related. Dr. Mew also gives public lectures frequently, but doesn’t produce much written content, so the videos on his channel encompass the majority of his teachings.
From what I can tell, this is Mike Mew’s official website.
The Craniofacial Action Group is a Facebook group that Mike Mew is an admin of, although topics there range beyond classic mewing and into functional appliances, etc.
Other sources:
- This is the orthotropics subreddit, which is focused on mewing. Their FAQ is a good place to start for general information.
- I Finally Figured Out Proper Tongue Posture (ronaldead.com)
- Esther Gokhale’s One Mistake (ronaldead.com)
- Everything You Need to Know about Mewing (jawlineexercises.com)
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