No, you shouldn't press your tongue forcefully; proper mewing involves creating a gentle suction that pulls the entire tongue, including the back, up against the roof of your mouth (palate) using nasal breathing and a lip seal, not constant muscular pushing, which can cause strain or incorrect pressure. The tongue should rest effortlessly in this position, with the tip just behind your front teeth, creating a natural suction hold that you maintain by keeping your lips sealed and breathing through your nose.
Mewing is a viral tongue posture trend where you press your tongue to the roof of your mouth (including the back) to try and achieve a more defined jawline, but it's largely unproven for adults and associated with "looksmaxxing" on social media. It's also used humorously by teens as a slang excuse for not talking, like "Can't talk, mewing," implying they're busy working on their face or just want to be quiet.
Mewing applies pressure to the teeth and jaw, and excessive pressure can disrupt the natural alignment of teeth, particularly if the tongue isn't positioned evenly across the palate. For example, uneven pressure could push some teeth forward while others remain in place, leading to crooked teeth or gaps.
How to do mewing the right way ideally, your entire tongue is up on your palate at all times. The tip of your tongue should be just behind. your front teeth, and the middle and back thirds of your tongue. should also be up on your palate. Now, you don't want to have to. force your tongue up there too hard.
Gen Z's obsession with "mewing" stems from social media trends promising a chiseled jawline by placing the tongue on the roof of the mouth, tapping into insecurities about appearance and the "looksmaxxing" culture, but it's also a form of silent defiance or a way to avoid talking, especially in school, by mimicking a shushing gesture while holding the tongue posture, leading to both fascination and frustration among parents and teachers.
The 3-finger jaw test is a simple self-screening tool to check your jaw's range of motion (Maximal Incisal Opening or MIO) by seeing if you can comfortably stack three of your own fingers vertically between your upper and lower front teeth; fitting three fingers generally indicates a healthy opening (around 40-60mm), while struggling to fit two or fewer fingers suggests potential jaw restriction, often from muscle tension, clenching, or Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) issues.
Like any exercise, mewing is supposed to be safe, and you should only feel a stretch in the muscles of the tongue and face when you learn how to properly mew. However, mewing is not supposed to hurt. The mewing tongue posture can be challenging at first, so discomfort is expected — pain is not.
Ideally, your tongue should rest gently against the roof of your mouth, with the tip just behind your front teeth. This position helps maintain the shape of your dental arches and supports proper teeth alignment.
Orthotropics, the broader concept behind mewing, is believed to be most effective for children aged 5-10, as their jawbones are still developing. In adults, any noticeable changes are minimal and unlikely to be permanent.
As Lindsay explains, “When you're mewing, you can't talk because you have your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and you're swallowing. The trending part is when somebody comes up and asks you a question, particularly if it's a teacher or a parent, and you don't want to answer the question, you hit them with 'mewing.
The nickname "the Rizzler" originates from a combination "rizz", a Generation Z slang term meaning "charisma", and the Riddler, a character from DC Comics.
The following are some of the do-it-yourself exercises that help achieve a more even jawline.
Correct positioning involves placing your tongue against the rigid palate, just behind your upper front teeth. You should aim to keep the tip of your tongue lightly touching the ridge without pressing too hard. This position helps support facial growth and maintain proper tooth alignment.
You should aim to practice mewing for as long as possible, ideally making proper tongue posture (tongue on the roof of the mouth) a constant habit, but starting with short periods (20-30 mins/day) and gradually increasing to full days, though experts note lasting facial changes require significant, consistent pressure, often achieved with orthodontic devices, and short practice sessions likely won't alter bone structure.
What's a normal color tongue? Healthy tongue color is pink, though the specific shades may range from light to dark. A healthy, normal-colored tongue also has small bumps all over its surface. These are papillae.
The 2-2-2 rule in dentistry is a simple guideline for good oral hygiene: brush twice a day, for two minutes each time, and visit your dentist twice a year, helping to prevent cavities, gum disease, and other dental problems by establishing consistent habits for plaque removal and professional monitoring.
Tongue thrust and other oral behaviors are considered examples of “stimming,” or repetitive movements or noises, which autistic children and teens often do as a coping mechanism during overwhelming situations.
When you eat sugary foods or sip sugary drinks for long periods of time, plaque bacteria use that sugar to produce acids that attack your enamel, the hard surface of your tooth. Most carbonated soft drinks, including diet soda, are acidic and therefore, bad for your teeth.
First Bite Syndrome (FBS) was first described by Haubrich in 1986 [1]. It is a rare and often relatively unknown complication of upper parapharyngeal tumour surgery.
Here's what mewing generally includes: Keeping the mouth closed with lips gently sealed. Breathing through your nose instead of your mouth. Flattening your tongue against the palate (not just the tip!)
Many people think that with mewing you just press your tongue up and that's it. Not so fast! If your neck is in the wrong position when doing it, it will actually hurt your results. You see, if the back of your neck isn't long and your platysma is tense, you're actually pulling everything down.
Symptoms
Tongue blade has been used as a conservative method of correcting developing anterior crossbite. Continuous application of pressure from tongue blade has shown to correct the crossbite in 30 minutes without any discomfort to the patient.
The examiner's thumb may be placed on the chin and tapped, or a tongue blade may be placed on the lower teeth and then tapped. The expected response is a contraction of the masseter and temporalis muscles, which causes a sudden closing of the mouth.