According to Experts, 'Mewing' Won't Transform Your Face

The internet is chock-full of viral TikTok trends that are both interesting and utterly perplexing. A beauty trend that's made its rounds on social media is a method called "mewing." What is mewing, you may ask? Mewing is essentially a method one can use to non-surgically enhance and highlight their jawline and cheekbones by flattening the roof of the tongue against your mouth and slightly sucking in the cheeks to give the face a more chiseled look.

"Mewing is a 'viral technique' where the tongue is pressed against the roof of the mouth rather than resting at the bottom. This tongue posture is believed to lead to better facial development and alignment of the teeth and jaw but has no permanent effects," explains New York-based cosmetic dentist Dr. Irina Vaiman Kessler. 

The method itself was invented by the very man it was named after, Dr. John Mew, a British orthodontist who wanted to promote and encourage a form of orthodontics called "orthopedics." Orthopedics focuses on developing good jaw posture by retracting the tongue. It should be noted that, according to Web MD, Dr. Mew was recently stripped of his dental license, so the legitimacy of this method is still up for question.

Below, Dr. Zainab Mackie, a dentist based in Detroit took to TikTok to explain the method isn't medically or scientifically backed. 

"This is okay to do for a quick picture here or there, but there's no real research out there shows that if you actually do this every day, it's going to have an effect on your jawline," she explains. 

When asking Dr. Samuel Lin, a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Boston, about the trend, he also responded with skepticism. "I don't believe so, as I have not seen any data on this," he said when asked if mewing can have the ability to change your face shape. If anything, Dr.Lin suggests that it can cause some mild discomfort to your jaw.

"I believe it has the potential to cause temporary discomfort, depending on the length of time," said Dr.Lin. 

Dr. Kessler says that it may alter the structure of your teeth.

"The tongue is a strong muscle and can cause teeth to move over long periods of time. For example, tongue thrusters can move their teeth, and then they will need orthodontic intervention to correct tooth placement," says Dr. Kessler. 

The verdict, as per expert opinion, is that mewing may cause some mild issues, and due to the placement of the tongue, there's a chance you may accidentally change the structure of your teeth over a long period. Yet, rest assured, it won't cause any prolonged or serious damage to the jaw. 

"Moving the facial bone is highly unlikely," said Dr. Kessler when discussing whether jaw damage is possible.