Does Mewing Work? What the Evidence Actually Says

There is no good scientific evidence that mewing reshapes an adult's jaw or face. No controlled study has shown that pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth changes adult facial bones, and the dramatic “before and after” photos online are usually explained by head posture, camera angle, lighting or weight loss. Good tongue and lip posture is still a healthy habit — just don't expect it to rebuild your jawline.

Here's what mewing is, where the idea comes from, what the evidence does and doesn't support, and what actually changes how your jaw looks.

What is mewing?

Mewing is the practice of resting your whole tongue flat against the roof of your mouth (the palate), with your lips closed and breathing through your nose. The name comes from John Mew and his son Mike Mew, British orthodontists associated with an approach called orthotropics, which argues that oral posture influences how the face grows.

Online, the idea grew into a much bigger claim: that holding this posture for months will widen your palate, lift your midface and sharpen your jawline, even as an adult. That stronger claim is the part the evidence doesn't back up.

What the evidence says

Adults: no proof it changes bone

By adulthood, the bones of the face have finished growing. Orthodontists can still move teeth and, with appliances, influence the jaws in children — but changing the shape of adult facial bone usually requires surgery. There are no controlled clinical studies showing that tongue posture alone changes an adult's jaw, cheekbones or face shape.

Children: posture matters, but it's not DIY territory

In growing children, breathing and oral habits do seem to matter. Long-term mouth breathing (for example from enlarged adenoids or allergies) has been associated with differences in facial and dental development. But that is a reason for a child to see a dentist, orthodontist or ear, nose and throat doctor — not a reason to follow mewing videos. Treatment depends on the cause.

Myofunctional therapy is a real, separate thing

Orofacial myofunctional therapy — exercises for the tongue, lips and throat, guided by a trained therapist — is studied for problems like tongue thrust, and some studies suggest such exercises can help reduce the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. That is not the same as mewing for looks, and it doesn't show that tongue posture reshapes bone.

Why mewing before-and-after photos look convincing

Most viral transformations can be explained without any change to bone:

What changed	Effect on the photo
Head posture	Pulling the chin slightly back and lifting the head tightens the area under the jaw instantly
Camera angle and lens	A higher camera or a different focal length changes jaw and neck proportions
Lighting	Side light creates shadows that “carve” the jawline
Body fat	Losing weight makes the jaw and cheekbones more visible
Expression	Pressing the tongue up while photographing flexes the muscles under the chin
Time and growth	Teenagers' faces change naturally as they grow

That's why the same person can look like they have a much sharper jaw in two photos taken minutes apart. If you track any change in your face, use the same camera, distance, angle and light every time — our guide to taking a consistent selfie explains how.

Is mewing safe?

Gentle, relaxed tongue posture is harmless. Problems tend to come from overdoing it:

• Pressing hard for hours can tire or strain the jaw and tongue muscles.
• Clenching your teeth while “mewing” can contribute to jaw pain or tooth wear.
• “Hard mewing” and related trends — such as forcefully pushing on the palate or chin — have no evidence behind them.
• Bone smashing is a separate viral trend and is genuinely dangerous: hitting your face can cause fractures and nerve damage. Never do it.

If you have jaw pain, clicking, headaches or difficulty breathing through your nose, see a dentist or doctor rather than adjusting your technique.

Correct tongue posture (without the hype)

The resting position most dentists and therapists describe is simple:

1. Lips gently closed.
2. Teeth slightly apart or barely touching — never clenched.
3. Tongue resting relaxed against the roof of the mouth, tip just behind the upper front teeth.
4. Breathing through your nose.

This is worth doing for comfort and nasal breathing. It also tends to go with better head and neck posture, which does change how your jawline looks in profile — not because bone moved, but because you're holding your head differently.

What actually changes how your jaw looks

If your goal is a sharper-looking jaw, these have far more impact than mewing:

• Lower body fat through sustainable diet and exercise.
• Better head and neck posture, avoiding forward head posture at a desk or phone.
• Grooming: a beard shape that defines the jaw, a haircut that suits your face shape.
• Skincare and sun protection to keep skin firm over time.
• Medical options such as fillers or jaw surgery, only after talking to a qualified, licensed professional.

Our guide on how to get a jawline covers each of these in detail, and the looksmaxxing guide puts them into a realistic routine. To see where you're starting from, an AI face analysis measures your facial proportions and symmetry from a front-facing selfie so you can compare progress over time.

FAQ

Does mewing actually work?

There is no reliable scientific evidence that mewing changes the bones of an adult face. Better tongue and head posture can make your profile look slightly better in the moment, mostly because of how you hold your head.

How long does mewing take to show results?

There's no proven timeline because there's no proven bone change in adults. Quick “results” seen online usually come from posture, angle, lighting or weight loss.

Can mewing fix a weak chin or recessed jaw?

Not in adults, as far as current evidence shows. A weak chin or recessed jaw is mainly determined by bone structure; options that change it are medical and should be discussed with an orthodontist or maxillofacial surgeon.

Is mewing bad for you?

Relaxed tongue posture is harmless. Pressing hard, clenching your teeth or doing it for hours can strain the jaw muscles and contribute to discomfort, so stop if anything hurts.

Does mewing help children?

Oral posture and nasal breathing matter during growth, but a child who mouth-breathes or has bite problems should see a dentist, orthodontist or ENT doctor. The cause needs diagnosing; it isn't something to fix with online exercises.