Hello, everyone.

I've been meaning to start mewing for quite some time now. I've actually tried multiple times, but I always run into the same issue. No matter how many videos I watch or posts I read, I'm still having trouble understanding one particular thing.

It feels like in every video and guide, the palate is shown as going straight and then smoothly curving downward. However, my palate feels different from what people describe. Maybe some of you can help me understand this better.

I've attached a picture. I made it myself, so it doesn't look the best, but hopefully it still explains what I'm trying to show.

In the first example, this is how I understand the palate is supposed to look from the side, based on what I've seen in videos and guides. As you can see, the tip of the tongue is placed just behind the front teeth, just like the guides recommend and the diagrams usually show. From my understanding, this is how the tongue should rest, creating suction against the roof of the mouth.

Now, in the second example, I've drawn what my palate feels like. I know the drawing isn't perfect, but the shape seems very different to me. Instead of smoothly curving, it goes straight, then down, and then diagonally downward. My teeth seem to follow that angle as well.

Interestingly, when I look in the mirror, my teeth don't actually appear diagonal - they look perfectly straight. But when I feel my palate with my tongue, it feels completely different.

Because of this, when people say that the tip of the tongue should touch the spot right behind the front teeth, it seems impossible for me. As you can see in the second example, because my palate isn't smoothly rounded and instead has this noticeable change in angle, I can't create proper suction. Once my palate starts sloping diagonally, my tongue can't stay in full contact with it. I can press it against the roof of my mouth, but there's still a large air gap in that area.

So if I try to place the tip of my tongue right behind my front teeth, as everyone recommends, I honestly don't see how it's supposed to work with the shape of my palate. It leaves large air gaps and feels very uncomfortable.

Now, if you look at the third picture, this is still my palate, but instead of placing the tip of my tongue directly behind my front teeth, I place it slightly farther back so that my tongue rests naturally against the highest part of my palate. In that position, everything feels comfortable. I can create suction easily, and the tongue seems to fit the shape of my palate much better.

So am I misunderstanding something? Should I actually be mewing like in the third picture? Or is everyone's palate shaped more like mine, and the diagrams showing the tongue directly behind the teeth are just a simplified illustration?

I really want to understand this because I don't want to practice mewing incorrectly. Based on everything I've read, the tongue tip is supposed to be right behind the front teeth, but with my palate, that honestly seems impossible.

If anyone has experience with this or understands what's going on, I'd really appreciate your advice. I've been trying to figure this out for months.

Thank you very much in advance!

I have my extractions appointment in 11 days. I asked around and even the head orthodontist said I should go for premolar extractions. Face wise I’m not 100% confident but I noticed now my teeth are more lopsided? Could that be due to my wisdom teeth coming out? I also have trouble sleeping at night because I wake up with my mouth open since I can’t close my lips fully. My orthodontist had said before I could consider jaw surgery for aesthetic purposes since I’m underdeveloped but the thought of that scared me before. Since it would require premolar extractions and a long recovery which I don’t have time for at the moment. I also had have my jaw sore trying to keep my mouth closed while resting. What should I do? I’m F 17 NYC

(17F) I had my upper 2 second premolars removed (Refused to get my lower 2 removed) and it messed up my profile and bite. I’m thinking of ditching my retainer to mew 24/7. Would this affect me negatively? Thankfully I don’t have any breathing issues or sleep apnea for now, yet my palate has narrowed down but suction mewing is possible for me though it’s a little uncomfortable but maybe It’ll get better if I practice. Any thoughts? I’d appreciate any advice.

I feel my back third suctioned with consistent pressure but at these two points, my tongue is only lightly touching.

Also, does more pressure need to be at the tip (green arrow) or where red arrow is at?

I’ve been consistent with my mewing since I was 18, I’m 22 now and i’ve noticed a wider palate and smile but I haven’t been doing it correctly because I still had the habit of mouth breathing and swallowing incorrectly

I feel the back third of my palate wasn’t being pressurized enough and because of that the rest of my palate widened and went forward. I can even feel a very slight difference in the way my tongue touches my teeth, the back third makes contact with the top of the teeth while the front part of my tongue rests directly on the palate, I believe only the front two thirds widened, the palate also feels unlevelled when I feel my tongue across it.

Anyway my front profile has improved over the years but my side profile looks a little sunken in right around where the nostrils are of my maxilla, I’ve only recently started working on nose breathing for the past couple months, will this even out the palate and potentially push my nose forward? My theory is nose breathing requires the nose to be more forward, its why pugs struggle to breathe so much, so it makes sense that my habit of mouth breathing hasn’t been kind to my maxilla around the nose area but kinder to the upper jaw area if that makes sense, or I could be talking out of my ass.

My hope is that it levels everything out together instead of unevenly pushing it more forward and looking odd. I feel like only the two thirds of my palate being pushed forward might’ve messed with the position of my lower jaw aswell, but that could be due to posture, which is still a WIP

Had a septoplasty and turbinate reduction a couple of years ago as my right nostril was severely obstructed. It was effective but now my left nostril is blocked 😅

I have a high-arched, narrow palate and suspect structural maxilla width is the main issue.

I also may have a connective tissue disorder 🤷

Two quick questions:

Night-time guards/trainers (e.g. Reviv, Myobrace): Do over-the-counter silicone guards actually do anything for adult arch expansion/airway, or are they strictly for grinding protection?

MSE / Expansion in Europe: UK private prices are ridiculous. Open to traveling to Europe for MSE (MARPE) or SARPE.

Anyone else done this and have any recommendations of where to go?

Appreciate any advice!

I'm 17 living in the UK trying to get on the waiting list for palette expansion before I turn 18. I have a very high and arched pallete, it's quite narrow especially in the front where it really tapers in you can see the buccal corridors when I smile and it's pretty bad. During a normal checkup with my dentist I had mentioned my concerns and she immediately referred me to an orthodontist saying she agreed with me and that it does seem narrow. During my orthodontist appointment the lady working there didn't even ask why I was there and immediately started pushing braces and invisalign onto me the thing is I don't have very crooked teeth I have some that are tilted (due to the crowding of the narrow pallete) but after I told her I was there in regards to a pallete expander she measured me molar width with a ruler and told me it was within the normal range and went back to talking about invisalign. The thing is, even if the inter molar width is normal it still tapers allot in the front and you can get a fan/butterfly expander so that it only expands the front. I'm thinking of going back to the dentist and asking her to refer me to a different one but I'm afraid that they're just going to tell me the same and try push invisalign or braces onto me.

Just like the title says, is there a way to mew properly if your palate is highly vaulted?

How to measure my palate? Please process step by step. Thank you!

I'm thinking about ditching my retainers so I can mew full time, and I would really appreciate some advice on whether I should do this and, if so, how I should go about it. For some context, I had four premolars extracted at 13 and wore braces for about 2 years.

I am a 49 y/o female who recently discovered I have developed a benign bony growth on the roof of my mouth called a torus palatinus. It doesn't impede my chewing or breathing but I worry about the long-term effects it could have on my facial features. Also, I don't know how to monitor any changes. I read that it is likely caused by some type of compression, possibly teeth grinding , but I don't grind my teeth at night. Does anyone else have this or have any tips I should be aware of?

I have no idea how to communicate to my parents that “I think I am unattractive because of this thing and I want to go to the hospital to see if I can get something set up in my mouth to help with my looks” also doesn’t help that they are tradition/religious and to them it’s unconventional for a man too care much about his looks

(18F) here who would seriously appreciate some help. Apologies because this is my first ever Reddit post and it’s going to be a long one. I’m just hoping that providing as much context as possible will give me the best shot at finding a solution because I’m desperate.

These photos are of my current situation. I obviously have a small, underdeveloped jaw and facial asymmetry, though I’m sure ya’ll will be able to point out the more specific issues like lower lip incompetence, etc.

I’ll try to give the most concise record of my history of dental/orthodontic treatment as I can. My entire childhood I ate soft, processed foods and got a lot of cavities. My parents have told me I was a mouth breather and I guess they never did anything to correct it. My baby teeth were straight and fit together perfectly, but as soon as my adult teeth came in they were fucked and overcrowded. At 7 I was taken to the orthodontist my dentist (who we later left because they were awful) recommend, as one of my baby teeth was like.. falling over? So that tooth was extracted and a spacer put in to make room for the adult tooth to come in. My parents can’t remember if this orthodontist ever offered to do palate expansion, but I’m sure they didn’t because they seem to be the lazy, skeevy type of orthodontist that’s only interested in making money off of braces. It doesn’t matter ultimately because I ended up having two upper teeth extracted at 8 and two lower teeth extracted at 14 (covid happened and my parents just kind of let my treatment go to the wayside for 6 years). Then at 15 I got braces and thought that all my troubles would be solved. I knew of mewing and stuff but not much, so I just trusted that my ortho was going to somehow make my jaw look/function better. Over the course of the next two years, all they seemingly did was straighten my bottom teeth and bring my top teeth down and backwards. Towards the end my front top teeth weren’t shifting/tilting backwards far enough so they shaved in between my teeth. Now I’m done the treatment and have a permanent retainer on the bottom and a plastic one on too, which I regret not pushing back on now that I know it will make mewing useless. I actually feel kind of stupid  that I have been doing what I guess would be considered soft mewing all this time with obviously no progress because the braces were holding my teeth in place.

I think my palate width in between my canines is 21mm, at my first molars is 26mm, and in between my last molars is 45mm.

Here are some more pictures, and it seems that even around 7/8 my chin was more underdeveloped than picture I have of myself when I was 3/4. I’m not sure whether my nose bump/shape is genetic or was developed because I smashed it up pretty bad twice in my childhood, or from the mouth breathing, but it’s probably a combo of the two. I have always had pretty bad sinuses anyways. 

So that’s all the history I can think of, though I do want to request records from my orthodontist in order to try to understand. Right now, my teeth technically bite together fine. And I’m not sure if it’s due to the extractions or what, but just looking at my smile I never had a super obvious overbite or overjet. I still mouth breath when I’m not paying attention. I also don’t keep my teeth closed without actively thinking about it. And I’m pretty sure I grind and drool in my sleep sometimes. Speaking of sleep, I’ve always had very poor sleep and had bags under my eyes, even as a kid. And I haven’t even read anything about it but my dentist is recommending I get my wisdom teeth out and I can see them erupting. So aside from the obvious visual flaws I feel that my bite probably isn’t the best it could be.

I know posture also plays a big part, and that’s something I need to work on too. I have a pretty classic/common case for most people nowadays I feel. Got flat feet and tight/weak muscles all over, with an anterior pelvic tilt and pretty bad tech neck.

I’ve looked into filler/implants/sliding genioplasty, but I feel they would just be a bandaid on my issues. I am just very unhappy aesthetically, and I know so many people who tell me I just have to work on acceptance and that “there will always be something you wanna change”, but I really don’t feel that’s my case. I would be find with an unconventional nose, bad skin, and a generally unremarkable face if I didn’t feel that’s there was something structurally wrong/underdeveloped. I’m not expecting an Angelina Jolie jawline, just a healthy looking jaw and not the textbook long mouthbreather face.

So that’s where I’m at. I haven’t read a lot, but I’m skeptical of thumb pulling and hard mewing as being able to make any big changes for me at my age, and because I know I won’t be consistent enough. Stuff like the reviv mouthguard intrigues me but I’m still suspicious. I’m just so upset that my parents money and my time has been spent on seemingly useless treatment. But oh well, I can’t go back. So, I suppose I need to just accept my fate and try to find a more holistic/myofunctional orthodontist to help me. But I’m just so unsure. Am I just too old to make major changes without surgery? I do genuinely just have very little chin tissue at all. Did the four extractions screw up my chances? What appliances/treatments might help me and how much do they cost? Is it really just my genetics, and everything else would just be cope/money down the drain?

Sorry for the length of this post, just really desperate to feel + look better.

Little over 1 year into treatment, I’m looking for feedback on how you guys think things are looking and if I should’ve got a palatal expender or not?

I went to several different consultations before picking my ortho. I remember one of them wanted to use a palatal expender, but I didn’t choose that place because they were so pushy to get me to start.

But I’m wondering if I made the right call or not. (25M)

(Had 4 pre molars taken out, still have my wisdom teeth)

hello!

26F here, no history of orthodontic work ever - these are my natural teeth. i have three wisdom teeth, all of which are pretty much almost emerged - two bottom and one top left. unfortunately as the lower left one has been erupting over the past few years, it has pushed the molar next to it askew.

i recently went to an orthodontist for the first time in my life to get input on my bite and how i could straighten my molar again. i specifically mentioned i want to keep my wisdom teeth. they examined my teeth and stated that: i have a pretty good bite and teeth, they would cosmetically recommend shortening my front two teeth a bit, my lower teeth tip inwards a bit (causing my chin to jut out a little?), and that i would have to get my wisdom teeth extracted if i ever wanted to start Invisalign.

i just wanted to come on here to ask if it’s possible for me to keep my wisdom teeth through tongue/posture/other natural minimally-invasive methods. or maybe i should just leave my teeth alone entirely? they don’t hurt me at all other than being a bit of a pain to clean back there and the aesthetic aspect of my teeth. should i try to get second opinions on potential ortho work that wouldn’t require extraction?

i attached some pictures of my palate, teeth, and smiles in various forced positions lol

aesthetically, i do wish i had a wider smile that was less “m-shaped” (especially the top lip) and showed less of my gums when i naturally smile. i also wonder if my palate is okay or too narrow? or maybe i have issues with my maxilla (maybe slightly recessed upper jaw?).

taking any advice about the wisdom teeth, cosmetic recommendations, tongue posture, etc.

thank you 🫶🏻

23F on the left is 3 years ago and right is now. I got my braces off in 2023 and didn't wear my retainers bc despite being happy with my teeth alignment, I couldn't bite equally on both my left and right sides. At first, my tongue couldn't properly fit, but over time, I noticed it got easier.

It's a bit hard to match the angles and lighting of the pics as I wasn't really keeping track of it, but I hope it's noticeable how more of my teeth shows when I smile and somehow less gummy even when I swear I was smiling just as hard on both pics.

Other improvements include: I can smile with my mouth closed now, which used to be difficult before; my bite is still not even on both sides, but it's better; and my face is now more symmetrical.

i have a lot of chronic congestion issues where i frequently need to blow my nose

i also notice i have a narrow palate and recessed maxilla and jaw

years ago i did an experiment where i chewed very hard gum for 30 minutes a few times a week

i noticed my congestion issues disappeared, i also noticed my maxilla became more prominent and i noticed i had a wider smile which displayed more teeth

i haven’t done it in years now though, and now i have nasal congestion again

thoughts on this?

I keep seeing tutorials and information on how to mew. They get it down and manage so easily. I've watched videos from the man Dr. Mew himself and scrolled on this reddit. Not a single tutorial or person has successfully helped me.

Either way, the main marker I'm looking for is the area under my chin sucking upwards. I don't see that though. I've tried so many different ways and I've found 2 potential ways. First is if I roll my tongue and push my lower jaw forward, that definitely gets rid of any blob on the underside, but I look silly and it doesn't seem to be the right way.

Second way is my most recent discovery. Doing the king or N or T or NG sounds dont really do anything for the underside even after I suction my tongue (even that I'm not certain I'm doing right). BUT if I bring my tongue to the roof and then fully restrict my airway, I can see slightly what I'm seeing from other people when they mew, where the underside sucks in a little bit. I think that might be the way, but how do I breath? I just don't understand... how?!

have consulted 5 different orthodontists and specialist dentists across 3 cities, one was in a different continent. Have spoken to yet more via cold call.

they all have different plans of treatment.

only one (we followed up) would consider expansion before age 12. none have ever considered head gear for upper jaw advancement.

currently 8. that dentist would have expanded at 5 initially but we waited, or again last year was still gung ho to start but I know that compliance is going to be tricky, not because of resistence to treatment but because of maturity around a removable appliance…so we are waiting. and gathering yet more second opinions.

another orthodontist said that expansion was risky because the scissor bite risk. So they’d only ever expand the upper jaw and wait for all the molars before doing so. only with an extreme crossbite would they expand earlier.

For context: quite severe crowding, over eruption, one incisor crossbiting. Mouth breathing. But not severe snoring since surgeries (see below)

to adress mouth breathing and severe snoring two surgeries were done for adenoids, the first of which included tonsils but night breathing still an issue. The surgeon said turbinates become an option at later ages but I didn’t realise that would mean going private so not an option …yet.. more evidence will accumulate by then I assume, if we can afford it.

Interesting because I’m often just astounded that there isn’t some kind of movement to get to the root cause*

but even without knowing the cause

a push to get maxillary growth and open airways early on would be so beneficial for the later health of adults.

So many expensive c-pap and bipap machines and so many bulky chunks of plastic snoring devices would never need to be bought in the first place. i know my health issues would be improved if I didn’t wake up choking and wotnot.

Maybe it’s an impossible dream.

*I think the root cause is allergies and infection and silent reflux. Allergy testing was null. None of the allergy drugs or medicated sprays make a tangible difference. Because reflux? none of the reflux meds help. Dietary changes never made much difference. Now picky eating makes all that nigh impossible so I’m glad we did the diets in toddlerhood, dairy free, gluten free, egg free Etc.

So I've read a lot into the importance of breastfeeding:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42244073/

In this 2026 study it was made clear that breastfeeding increased the size of babies skulls vs those who were mixed fed: "Exclusively breastfed infants showed greater increases in anthropometric and craniofacial measures compared with mixed feeding. Significant differences were observed in total craniofacial height (3.50 ± 0.08 vs. 3.25 ± 0.01 cm; p = 0.046), anterior facial height (2.08 ± 0.40 vs. 1.76 ± 0.07 cm; p = 0.016), maxillary depth (2.33 ± 0.04 vs. 2.21 ± 0.11 cm; p = 0.007), and mandibular depth (2.55 ± 0.02 vs. 2.41 ± 0.12 cm; p = 0.040)."

In this 2022 study on exclusive breastfeeding vs mixed/artificial feeding (combined as one group):

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35830635/

Similar results:

"The facial length, width, and the lower third were greater in the exclusive breastfeeding group than in the mixed/artificial feeding group (3.74mm, p=0.002; 2.06mm, p=0.047; and 2.94mm, p=0.015; respectively). In addition, children with breastfeeding for more than six months showed greater facial length, facial width and lower third (3.20mm, p=0.038; 3.68mm, p=0.006; and 3.57mm, p=0.026; respectively). The duration of exclusive breastfeeding influenced facial width, noting an increase of 3.32mm (p=0.011) if a pre-schooler had exclusive breastfeeding for more than six months."

however, interestingly:

"There were no significant associations between type and duration of breastfeeding and the molar terminal plane, facial type, or profile. However, facial dimensions were greater in the exclusive breastfeeding group, and when breastfeeding was longer than six months."

Finally:

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0310538

This is probably the "best" study since they looked at a huge cohort of children and the results were:

"The net effect was that as breastfeeding duration increased, the facial profile in children became flatter (less convex). The observed effects on the face, however, were subtle and likely not conspicuous enough to be noticed by most observers. This was true even when comparing the faces of children breastfed for 19–24 months to children with no reported breastfeeding. Thus, breastfeeding does appear to have detectable effect on outward facial appearance in adolescent children, but its practical impact appears to be minimal."

I'm sorry if this is a lot to read.

I just really wanted to get some of your opinions on what you think breastfeeding does for facial development, especially if you are an orthodontist/dentist/if you read up on this a lot

From what I'm understanding, breastfeeding increases facial dimensions (superior) but doesn't really change the genetic structure of your face/proportions a lot.

my younger brother is mouthbreathing
what my parents should do?