Many of us suffer from crooked teeth, but can we fix that with the power of mewing?
Unfortunately, there is no evidence that mewing can fix crooked teeth, nor are there any reasons to believe it would. However, mewing may help prevent one of the main causes of crooked teeth — dental crowding — by expanding the palate.
Causes of Crooked Teeth
Before we talk about whether mewing can fix crooked teeth, let’s talk about what can cause teeth to become crooked in the first place — because it’s not always random!
The causes of crooked teeth are numerous. They can either stem from genetics, poor jaw development, or just plain bad habits like sucking your thumb or swallowing incorrectly. That’s right: it’s believed that having incorrect oral posture can shift teeth just as much as genetics can. This is what’s caused some to argue that mewing can possibly treat crooked teeth.
Strangely enough, looking at the fossil record indicates that there is some truth to this story. Paleontologists have noted how pre-modern man surprisingly lacks crooked teeth, with dental issues across the board occurring at a much lower frequency. It seems that our current society is experiencing an epidemic of crooked teeth never before seen. How can this be possible?
The Probable Cause for Crooked Teeth
Most of our modern lives are spent being sedentary. Not only that, but our diets have been changed to better suit the soft, processed foods we eat nowadays.
Think about it: the prehistoric man would’ve had to tear apart and chew down raw flesh (with all the gristly bits), fruit, and veg with just his teeth. Nowadays, most of our food — like yogurt, soft bread, and boiled potatoes — will melt away in the mouth with no chewing if you only let it.
Some scientists have argued that it’s this change in our diets and lifestyles that has resulted in poorer dental health, and that makes sense. After all, we give our pet animals (especially dogs) bones and chew toys to maintain their dental health… it’s almost surprising we don’t do the same for ourselves!
Keeping this in mind, it should come as no surprise then that crowding and crooked teeth are more common now. By eating softer foods, we have adopted an oral posture which applies less and less force to the roof of our mouths. The end result are smaller palates and jaws, which have less space to fit your teeth.
It’s these small palates and jaws that cause many of us to suffer from what’s known as dental crowding, which is where there’s simply not enough space to fit all of the teeth. This causes the teeth to bunch up in all sorts of crooked and unattractive ways.
Going off this train of thought, it would then seem plausible that proper tongue posture (i.e. mewing) could correct this problem. But can mewing expand the palate and revert crooked teeth back to their normal position? Well, the answer to that is not so simple.
Mewing and Crooked Teeth
If you’ve read my mewing guide, you already know that mewing is all about putting constant pressure on your palate with your tongue. This is what is most responsible for expanding the roof of your mouth over time. You should feel this same pressure every time you swallow.
Oftentimes, crooked teeth are caused by dental crowding, which is ultimately caused by having a narrow palate. This causes your teeth to shift, fuse together, or not appear symmetrical. The end result is a poor smile which can look unseemly if the damage is too extreme.
Although dental crowding is sometimes caused by improper oral posture, this does not mean that mewing can fix it. In fact, mewing can’t shift teeth back into place. That would be ludicrous in principle… although I have seen one female mewing before and after transformation where that appears to happen!
If you already have dental crowding, then you probably need specialist dental work. Unfortunately, there’s no simple way around that.
Mewing as a Preventative for Dental Crowding
So, can mewing reverse and/or fix crooked teeth and dental crowding? Absolutely not, because the damage has already been done.
Instead, mewing should be treated as a preventative option to expand your palate and prevent dental crowding in the future. This is why mewing should be done as early as possible — to prevent these issues from occurring in the first place.
It’s the same reason why Dr. Mike Mew focuses most of his work on 8-12 year old patients: since they’re the patients in which he’s most likely to make meaningful progress. By encouraging correct, outward facial growth from a young age, mewing can prevent a lot of these issues from happening in the first place.
Mewing should thus be treated as a preventative measure, not necessarily as a way to “fix” crooked teeth.
What to Do Instead
If you already have crooked teeth, your best bet would be to see a dental or medical expert to get a proper evaluation. You will likely need to wear a dental appliance like a retainer to correct the crooked teeth. The treatment could take a few years to finish and does not come cheap (sadly).
In addition to wearing a dental appliance, we would recommend you begin mewing to expand your palate and not have crooked teeth again. By expanding your palate, you can stop future instances of teeth shifting. You should therefore wear a retainer and start mewing for optimal results.
While mewing may be important in preventing crooked teeth, sometimes you need to consult a dentist to see results. Sadly, mewing can’t fix your crooked teeth on its own.
Final Thoughts
Mewing has a pretty long list of benefits, but it seems like fixing crooked teeth isn’t one of them. After all, how can you expect your teeth to magically return to the correct place? However, mewing is a very valid preventative measure for younger individuals, who may be able to prevent dental crowding (and the associated crooked teeth) before it ever comes about.