Mewing is a form of oral posture training purported to improve jaw and facial structure.[1] It was named after Mike and John Mew, the controversial British orthodontists who created the technique as a part of a practice called "orthotropics".[2] It involves placing one's tongue at the roof of the mouth and applying pressure, with the aim of changing the structure of the jaws.[3][4] No credible scientific research has ever proven the efficacy of orthotropics.[2]
Many orthodontists believe that mewing lacks evidence as a viable alternative treatment to orthognathic surgery.[1][5] Mike Mew was expelled from the British Orthodontic Society,[2] and faces a misconduct hearing for posing harm to child patients who underwent his treatments.[6][7] While Mike Mew has disparaged traditional orthodontics,[6] his orthotropic treatments for young children cost £12,500 for 36 months, and involve the wearing of headgear, neckgear and expansion appliances in the mouth.[7]
According to maxillofacial surgeon Paul Coceancig, "Mewing and chewing offer no structural change to the jaw, or other health benefits," adding "Will chewing a bone help your dog grow a bigger jaw?".[8]
Since 2019, mewing has received widespread media coverage due to its virality on social media,[9] especially in incel and looksmaxxing subcultures.[2]
Mewing could potentially cause TMJ pain, misalignment of the teeth, and may induce tinnitus.[10][11][12]
The technique has been used as an internet meme.[13]
Data from Google Trends indicates an increase in global interest and popularity for "Mewing" starting from January 2019.[1] According to a 2024 article in The Independent, some school teachers say that students gesture to their jawline to indicate that they are mewing and do not wish to answer questions.[14]
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