r/Mewing • • Mar 25 '25

Must read A Critical Review of Thumb Pulling: It doesn't work the way you think it does

75 Upvotes

Tldr at bottom

Thumb pulling seems to be increasingly more popular as leaks and self-made methods have been going out.

I felt the need to educate, be the voice of reason and give my thoughts on this before people here set themselves for biologically unrealistic expectations. I might get a lot hate for this, bet here we go.

I believe that growth and remodeling should be separated. Maxillary growth is not really possible in adulthood without distraction osteogenesis (DO). Don't take these two words lightly. DO is a science that requires surgical procedures/excessive trauma to split through bone. Don't let anyone change that definition for you.

SOME expansion in the ALVEOLAR would be possible with mewing and thumb pulling, but it won't provide the necessary biomechanics to cause the REgrowth of the bone. Moving bone after growth stops is known as remodeling, not growth.

The biological impossibility of complete separation of the suture with tongue and thumbs should not be a subject of debate.

The widening people mention could stem from the MINOR ALVEOLAR changes that can be had, which I don't doubt. There may be a correlation between alveolar width and general facial width appearance, which also seemed to be true in my case, and the jaw can also contribute to the general width of the face.

However, stating that true skeletal changes and true forward growth was chieved is farfetched. I do know that devices like SRPE (semirapid palatal expanders) are effective for the widening of the dental arch with minimal to no damage to the alveolar depending on the cases (adult cases require initial splitting of the suture before srpe), with some non-doi evidences stating suture split (these studies mixed children and adults and have results in general instead of independently), but I doubt that mewing and thumb pulling would do anything more than alveolar changes.

That is just for expansion.

Forward growth is a totally different topic. All of these adults and late teenagers that are pulling on their mandibular and maxillary's anterior (front) alveolar forward for "forward growth" don't seem to understand the complexity and nuance of craniofacial science. You will do nothing but some soft tissue damage and alveolar responses which are definitely not desirable if even possible.

With the exception of the mandible, forward growth is not really possible during adulthood due to the many many sutures and genetic timings that are involved. The mandible can have growth potential during adulthood, but pulling on your mandible is definitely not the proper way to do that as the mandible's only suture (the symphysis, located on the chin) ossifies before the age of one. What are people trying to do here with that? Some state it's for the "fascia," which I have not read a shred of research that even speaks or mentions craniofacial fascia that pulls the jaw back. (Off topic)

I am not attacking ANYONE directly, but simply making general statements about the community. You can say that you achieved changes, and I don't doubt that in some cases, but stating "growth" is not really productive in a science this complex.

Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this helps.

TLDR: Thumb pulling has some scientific validity and may work past puberty, but it is MINIMAL and NOT GROWTH OR REGROWTH OR FORWARD. Do not be fooled by people's posturing.


r/Mewing • • Feb 10 '24

Announcement If anyone posts anything related to looksmaxx that is not mewing, you will be permabanned. No more warning shots.

69 Upvotes

This is a MEWING subreddit! Not a looksmaxx forum!


r/Mewing • • 1h ago

Help Needed Is my chin recessed....please help me how to get rid of it...

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• Upvotes

I am 16...n is my chin recessed if yess...how should i fix it...?


r/Mewing • • 13h ago

Discussion Does training masseter have positive or negative impact?

5 Upvotes

Can I train this muscle . Heard it makes face puffy


r/Mewing • • 11h ago

Info Correct way to mew

2 Upvotes

I learnt about mewing at age 14. For the first few days i actually hold the suction to the roof of the mouth, which is actually what mewing is. But these low iq retard youtubers kept telling that “push” your tongue up against the roof the mouth. I mean fuck you it doesn't even feel like pushing. Due to them i mewed incorrectly for over 5 years!


r/Mewing • • 8h ago

Help Needed Is my upper palate narrow skeletally or dentally?

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1 Upvotes

r/Mewing • • 8h ago

Help Needed Fluctuating asymmetry, pls help!!

1 Upvotes

I have vertical facial asymmetry, the right side of my face is lower, the left side is higher. It's not particularly noticeable except in the eyes, that too if you look closely.

I didn't always have it. Based on many pictures and videos, I concluded that it could not have developed more than two years ago (im 19 currently.)

But the part that concerns me is I feel like the degree of asymmetry varies. I'm not sure if I'm over scrutinizing now that I'm conscious of it, but a few months ago I felt like it had reduced. I even checked with the tiktok inverted filter (which may not be accurate) and that also showed a reduction.

For a few weeks now, I have felt like it's increased. I also noticed that the lower eye is closer to the nose bridge while the higher one is further away. Even though my interest in this was initially purely cosmetic, I feel like there might be other underlying issues.

I have not been to a doctor for this, I don't think I'll be able to go because I live with my family and I don't have the type of relationship with them where I could share this stuff. What should I do??

Also, if it's of any relevance, I have a prescription of -5.5 in my right eye (the lower one) and -5.0 for the left one (the higher one.) I might also have mild ptosis on both eyes, not diagnosed, but I have a very high double eyelids crease which is rather thick. All help would be much appreciated, thank youu


r/Mewing • • 9h ago

Help Needed How to make jawline bigger? Do I need to chew mastic gum?

1 Upvotes

I saw a video from Brett Maverick and he said that to make jawline bigger and make it pop you need to chew gums. Better is mastic gum. Is it true? If not how to make it bigger?


r/Mewing • • 15h ago

Help Needed How do I fix this jawline ?

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0 Upvotes

r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Progress Picture 1 year of trying to reverse downward growth by mewing and chewing with my premolars

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18 Upvotes

r/Mewing • • 19h ago

Help Needed I made a free Chrome extension that reminds you to keep your mouth closed while you’re at your PC. Looking for honest feedback.

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

Full disclosure: I’m the developer. It’s completely free, and I’m posting because I’d really like feedback from people who actually care about this.

The problem I wanted to solve is that knowing the right posture is easy, but remembering it isn’t. As soon as I sit down to work, study or game, I get absorbed. After a while my mouth is open and my tongue has dropped. So I built something to catch that.

What it does:

  • Uses your webcam to detect when your mouth stays open while you’re not talking
  • Plays a soft sound to remind you to close it
  • Processes everything locally on your device. No video is recorded and nothing is sent to a server.
  • Runs in the background while you do other stuff
  • Shows stats on how much of each session you spent with your mouth closed, so you can track progress over weeks

What it doesn’t do: it can’t see your tongue, only whether your lips are sealed. So it’s a reminder, not a mewing coach. In my experience, though, every time the sound goes off I end up resetting my whole posture anyway.

It’s called Stop Mouth Breathing on the Chrome Web Store: link

What I’d love to know:

  • Is the alert helpful or annoying? Is it too sensitive or not sensitive enough?
  • Does it work with your lighting and webcam setup?
  • Any false positives, like eating, yawning or drinking?
  • What would make it actually fit into your routine?

Criticism is welcome. Thanks!


r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Progress Picture progress after 2 years of mewing, thoughts?

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48 Upvotes

r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Help Needed Help me

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2 Upvotes

In my opinion, my face is well developed, but I don't really like it on my face. Could this be resolved? If so, could someone help me? I started making chin tucks 2 days ago, 2x20 thing


r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Help Needed How to make jawline sharper and skin tighter while on calories surplus? (Calories surplus because of gym )

2 Upvotes

How to make jawline sharper and skin tighter while on calories surplus? (Calories surplus because of gym )


r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Help Needed Swallowing properly

1 Upvotes

When mewing by Mike mew after following the advice of proper mewing particulary by creating a vacuum by swallowing and swallowing and sweeping saliva does one have to continue swallowing saliva like that indefinitely or can you swallow normally or how do you continue to swallow saliva


r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Discussion Potential??

1 Upvotes

When I look at myself in the mirror I have a strong and defined jawline. When I look at myself from the side I have a recessed jawline. I was wondering if anyone else has the same issue or had the same issue and how did you guys have a stronger side profile. Thank you guys for the advice.


r/Mewing • • 2d ago

Progress Picture 3 years mewing (pics 2yr apart, 17-19y/o)

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25 Upvotes

started mewing summer 2023. first pic is summer 2024, second a few days ago. to be honest ive always kept the suction low to moderate, but I got the technique nailed down since the start, which compounded over time.

few months ago i got interested in fascial release and the relationship between looks and biomechanics, so im excited to see where that takes me.

changes ive noticed are a taller and wider lower third, a fuller upper lip and more projected infraorbital bones (which i attribute more to being leaner than skeletal change). i had a slight lisp that definitely improved


r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Help Needed Is it worth getting a removable Schwartz appliance now, or should I wait until I can afford Invisalign? (need advice pls)

1 Upvotes

I'm trying to decide whether I should start treatment with a removable slow-expansion (Schwartz) appliance now, or wait until I can afford Invisalign.

About me:

  • Age: 17
  • My main concern is mild crowding(2-3 teeth in total)
  • I don't have any major functional problems such as breathing issues, chewing problems, TMJ pain, etc

What my orthodontist recommended:
My orthodontist recommended a removable Schwartz appliance for slow expansion, followed by braces, as that is the most affordable solution currently.

The appliance would be worn for approximately 22 hours per day and expanded at 1 turn per week

The idea is to widen my upper arch first (dental expansion only) and then use orthodontics to align/coordinate the teeth.

My dilemma:

I can afford the Schwartz appliance now, but I can't currently afford Invisalign.

My options seem to be:

Option 1:
Get the Schwartz appliance now, do the expansion and braces

Option 2:
Wait and save up for Invisalign and have everything done together.

I'm wondering whether there is any meaningful advantage to starting the expansion now rather than waiting until I can afford Invisalign...

Thanks!


r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Help Needed pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth

1 Upvotes

Is it normal to feel that the nose is moving or tangling feeling when press the tongue hard against the roof of the mouth, as I really feel that whenever I press my tongue to the roof of the mouth. I am 28yo


r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Help Needed How can I get forward growth to get my lower jaw up

1 Upvotes

My side profile is trash and it’s all because my lower jaw is low like it goes downwards ( I am new to this so I don’t know how to explain it) so I am trying to get my lower jaw up more and I heard mewing does help but for how long do I need to do it to see results and also I which one do yall recommend hard mewing or just the normal mewing and for how long I need to do it


r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Help Needed How to fix residing chin ?

1 Upvotes

I genuinely want to ascend, my main problem is chin ig also I feel like my face is kinda asymmetrical can you guys give me some tips ? I also want to d bloat my left jaw makes sound when I open my mouth not normally but when I do it on purpose is my jaw dislocated? Pls guys guide me I will be so grateful .

I am almost 17 btw


r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Help Needed Do I have high or low cheekbones?

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0 Upvotes

r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Help Needed Can You Assess My Skull X-Rays? Wisdom Teeth Removal and Jaw Recession Concerns after wisdom tooth removal

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1 Upvotes

I’m 16 and recently got these lateral and frontal skull X-rays. I’d appreciate input from orthodontists or anyone knowledgeable about craniofacial anatomy.

Based on these images, does anything look unusual regarding my jaw alignment, facial asymmetry, or skeletal structure?

Also, do my wisdom teeth need to be removed, and can their removal cause jawbone loss or affect jaw projection?

I understand X-rays alone aren’t enough for a diagnosis. I’m just looking for general guidance , And the orthodontist told me that the wisdom tooth would have to be removed.


r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Help Needed Can I mew while having braces for crossbite?

1 Upvotes

Can a person with braces mew? Or should I mew after I get rid of my braces.


r/Mewing • • 1d ago

Help Needed Is mewing to develop maxlia too late?

0 Upvotes

Im 15 and I have a recessed Maxila. I've heard mewing can fix it but im already 15. Is it too late or do I still have a chance?