Specialist article: tongue
MewingThe right place, the wrong approach
Tongue to the palate, lips closed, and the jawline becomes more defined? Here you will find out what mewing describes correctly, why holding and pressing are not the same as a learned pattern, what studies show about chewing training and the jawline, and how the tongue finds its place through breathing, swallowing and head balance.
Does this sound familiar?
Mewing in everyday life: what applies to you?
What applies to you?
Tap whatever applies to you.
If two or more points apply, it is worth taking a closer look. Signs like these often indicate that the tongue is being held in place with force and attention rather than settling there as part of a pattern. This can be trained.
Why holding is not enoughWhat keeps the tongue upThe key points at a glance
- Mewing describes the position correctly: the tip of the tongue belongs against the front of the palate, the lips are closed, and breathing is through the nose.
- The difference lies in the route. With mewing, a position is held consciously and often with force, but in everyday life only a pattern that runs by itself via breathing, swallowing and head balance holds up. That is why we consider mewing to be the wrong approach.
- There is so far no controlled study demonstrating a more defined jawline through mewing. FaceFormer training focuses on function, not on appearance.
Video
Mewing: what does the training really do?
Das Video lädt erst nach dem Klick. Dann werden Daten an YouTube (Google) übertragen.
The trend
What is mewing?
If you search for “mewing”, you will find instructions, before-and-after pictures and the promise of a defined jawline.
Mewing is an instruction for tongue posture. The tongue is placed flat and wide against the palate and held there throughout the day, the lips stay closed and breathing is through the nose. The name goes back to a British family of orthodontists who made the idea known. Mewing has spread via social media, often linked to the hope of a more defined jawline.
Soft mewing
The tongue rests loosely against the palate and is consciously kept there throughout the day. This is the basic form of the instruction.
Hard mewing
The tongue is additionally pressed against the palate with force, often for minutes at a time. More pressure is supposed to achieve the goal faster.
Chewing training
Many instructions add long periods of chewing with hard gum or chewing devices. This is meant to make the chewing muscle stronger and more visible.
An analysis of social media by the University of São Paulo classifies mewing as part of so-called “looksmaxxing”, i.e. practices with which mainly young men seek to improve their appearance. Around three quarters of the posts under #mewing in that analysis came from men1. This explains why the debate revolves almost entirely around appearance and rarely around function.
What do you think: which muscle shapes the visible jawline the most?
Context
What mewing gets right
The spot is right. The tip of the tongue belongs on the small ridge behind the upper front teeth, the back of the tongue rests against the palate when you swallow, the lips are gently closed, and the air takes the route through the nose. We call this the tongue reference position. We explain exactly where the spot is and why there is no such thing as a rigid “tongue resting posture” in the article Tongue resting posture and tongue reference position.
The basic idea also has professional roots. In a widely cited review from 1978, the orthodontist William Proffit concluded that the position of the teeth depends above all on the resting pressures of the tongue and lips. Breathing influences how the head, jaw and tongue are held2.
So mewing picks up on a correct observation. How the tongue lies throughout the day is not irrelevant. What remains open is how it gets there and whether it stays there when you are not thinking about it.
The direction is right. What matters is how the tongue gets there.A position that is only held through attention disappears when the attention does. A learned pattern remains.
Holding or learning
Why holding is not enough
Mewing is a conscious instruction. As long as you think about it, the tongue stays up. In conversation, at work or during sleep, your attention is elsewhere, and the old pattern takes over. Two findings show why exactly this matters, one on duration and one on muscle work.
of the time: this is how long a small counterforce acted on an erupting rabbit tooth, showing hardly any effect3
of the time was enough for the same force to act like a continuous force. Duration mattered more than strength3
placed their tongue against the front of the palate on instruction. The temporalis muscle and the muscles beneath the chin became measurably more active, the masseter chewing muscle did not4
The animal study cannot be transferred to humans, but it shows a principle: what is applied over many hours has an effect, not what presses briefly and forcefully. And even consciously placing the tongue is muscle work. The authors of the study from Kentucky therefore advise caution about calling this position “rest”. This does not argue against the spot, but it does argue against holding it there by willpower.
Like balance on a bicycle
If you grip the handlebars tightly when cycling, you ride less steadily. Balance comes from many small corrections that happen without thinking. It is similar with the tongue: the tongue reference position is not a position held in place, but the result of a pattern that is adjusted with every breath and every swallow.
Hard mewing
Why pressing is not the goal
In hard mewing, more pressure is considered more progress. In our view, sustained, static pressure of the tongue against the palate is not a natural state. If the tip of the tongue is pressed upwards with force without this being integrated into swallowing and breathing, the chin muscle, jaw openers and floor of the mouth often work along with it. This creates faulty tension that tends to make the actual problem worse.
The tongue is pressed
The tip of the tongue presses forcefully against the palate, often for minutes and without swallowing.
The floor of the mouth tenses too
The muscles beneath the chin push back. They are attached to the hyoid bone and react to every force from the tongue.
Chin and jaw help out
The chin muscle and chewing muscles step in; in many people the teeth clench together as well.
The nervous system learns force
What is repeated is holding work, not the sequence in which the tongue has its role.
Tension becomes noticeable
Pulling beneath the chin, pressure in the jaw or tension in the neck can be the end result.
Pressing the tongue forcefully against the hard palate is a well-known form of exercise in swallowing therapy. A review from Toronto found seven studies that had examined such tongue strength training using an X-ray recording of swallowing. Whether swallowing itself benefited remained inconsistent, and a pooled analysis was not possible5. Strength is one component; swallowing is a sequence.
If you feel tension beneath your chin, in your jaw or in your neck after mewing, force is at work instead of form. Let your tongue rest loosely against the palate and let your teeth come apart.
Try it yourself
Which muscle shapes the jawline?
Place two fingers on your cheek, slightly in front of and above the angle of your jaw. Now press your tongue against the palate without your teeth touching. Then bite down briefly on your back teeth.
Under your fingers is the masseter, the strongest chewing muscle. It activates when you bite down, but stays quiet when you press with your tongue. This matches the measurement from Kentucky, in which the masseter did not change with tongue position4. It cannot be trained via the tongue.
What did you feel?
Jawline
A jawline through chewing training? What studies show
Because the tongue does not reach the chewing muscle, many guides add chewing training with hard gum or special chewing devices to mewing. That chewing muscles can be trained is well documented. What this means for the jaw and joint is less clear.
one hour of hard gum each: maximum bite force increased clearly, endurance when clenching stayed the same6
of chewing hard gum increased pain and fatigue in the chewing muscles; after a ten-minute break, the values were almost back to baseline7
Permanent damage to the jaw joint from constant chewing has not been demonstrated in humans, but neither has it been shown to be harmless. The studies were small, and an unloaded comparison group was missing. Mechanically, the lower jaw works as a lever, and the joint has to absorb all the more force the further forward the bite is. That more chewing force makes an adult’s jaw broader has not been demonstrated.
Furthermore, chewing gum never reaches the point at which chewing ends with a swallow. A bite of food is broken down and swallowed, but the chewing gum remains. In our understanding, constant chewing trains force outside the physiological pattern and can rather reinforce an existing imbalance, as we see in TMD. You can read more about the jaw joint and masticatory muscles under Understanding TMD.
The mechanism
What keeps the tongue up
Try it: place your tongue against the palate, close your lips and swallow once. Afterwards, your tongue feels as if it is stuck up there. A slight negative pressure has formed in the closed mouth, holding it in place. This does not require force, but closed lips, nasal breathing and a complete swallow.
We swallow many hundreds to a thousand times a day11. Every complete swallow renews this contact, whereas a swallow with a low-lying tongue reinforces the old pattern. That is why the training starts with swallowing and not with a held position. How swallowing works in detail is explained in the article Swallowing and swallowing disorders.
The triad
Why the tongue is not trained on its own
The tongue sits at the centre of the three basic functions of breathing, swallowing and head balance. It only finds its place when all three play their part.
If the nose is often blocked, the mouth opens and the tongue drops down to make room for the air. If the head shifts forward, the relationships between the lower jaw, tongue and neck change. In both cases, the tongue can be brought up briefly, but it does not stay there.
That is why correcting the tongue alone is not enough. How clear the nose is is described in the article Deviated nasal septum; what mouth breathing means at night, you can read under Snoring and sleep apnoea.
The pattern deviates
Mouth breathing, a low-lying tongue and a forward head position replace the reference order.
The body compensates
The lips, chin, floor of the mouth and neck take over holding work. The nervous system stores this compensation as a preferred pattern.
Structures adapt
Over time, palate shape, tooth position and posture can change.
Symptoms become visible
Complaints only appear at the end of many such chains. When they appear and how pronounced they are depends on extent, duration and age.
We therefore consider mewing to be the wrong approach. It addresses a single point in this chain and tries to correct it by willpower. Anyone who consciously presses the tongue against the palate is practising holding and force under attention; the pattern that runs by itself in everyday life and during sleep does not develop in this way. That requires training the function itself, that is, breathing, swallowing and head balance. That is where FaceFormer training comes in.
Evidence
Does mewing change the jaw? An honest assessment
The medical database PubMed contains commentaries and analyses of social media on mewing, but no controlled study that examines whether mewing changes the jawline or facial shape (as of September 2026). Before-and-after pictures are of little help here. Lighting, head balance, camera angle and body weight change the contour, and a photo does not distinguish between bone, muscle and soft tissue.
During growth, the situation is different. After the removal of enlarged adenoids, the lower jaw of 38 Swedish children grew over five years in a flatter, more horizontal direction than in 37 comparison children, clearly in the girls and only as a trend in the boys9. Breathing therefore influences how a jaw grows.
The absence of a study does not mean that the link does not exist. It means that it has not been tested.This applies to mewing and equally to any other training. There is no evidence for widening the jaw in adults after the fact.
The same honesty applies to FaceFormer therapy. The only randomised study comes from Hamburg and examined 45 children between three and sixteen years of age over six months. In the FaceFormer group, the tongue lay against the palate more often during swallowing, and lip closure was established more quickly10. The groups were small, and what was measured were basic functions, not facial shape. You can find context and limitations under Studies and science.
Training
From holding to pattern
In FaceFormer training, the tongue reference position emerges from the sequence, not from an instruction. The FaceFormer sits in the oral vestibule, in front of the teeth and behind the lips. The tip of the tongue rests at the reference point, you breathe through your nose, and your head balances upright.
In the basic exercise, you press the FaceFormer together with your lips, bite down briefly with your back teeth, as in a normal swallow, and swallow. The negative pressure draws the tongue against the palate; afterwards you relax your lips and jaw.
In the pull exercise, you pull the FaceFormer forward with two fingers, only as firmly as your lips can hold it. The floor of the mouth works along with it, but as part of the sequence and alternating with relaxation, not as constant pressure.
The difference from mewing is not the spot, but the fact that lip closure, nasal breathing, tongue, swallowing and head balance are practised at the same time.
- From day 1
Basic exercise with the ZERO
Three times a day for a few minutes with the FaceFormer ZERO; the free app sets the pace and the repetitions.
- From the second week
Night and pull exercise
At night, you wear the ZERO once the basic exercise is established. The pull exercise is added as instructed on the exercise pages.
- After a few weeks
Switching to the ONE
During the day, you train with the FaceFormer ONE. It is the same size and shape as the ZERO, just made of firmer material.
- Over six to twelve months
The pattern runs by itself
An old pattern is not given up through insight, but displaced through frequent, precise repetition. This is followed by maintenance training.
At the beginning, tired muscles or pressure on the teeth are common. In that case, take a short break and continue with fewer repetitions. If you have acute inflammation in the mouth, have recently had surgery or have an acute jaw joint blockage with severe pain, talk to your doctor first. If you are training with a practice, coordinate the plan with them.
Everyday life
Instead of mewing: everyday life with the tongue reference position
Rest it, don’t press
The tip of the tongue touches the reference point; it does not press. Tension under the chin means: too much.
Teeth apart
Apart from chewing and swallowing, the rows of teeth do not touch. If you catch yourself clenching, release your teeth.
Skip chewing gum
In our view, constant chewing disrupts pattern formation. Chew thoroughly when eating; afterwards your jaw gets a break.
Lips closed, nose open
With loosely closed lips and nasal breathing, the negative pressure holds the tongue against the palate almost by itself.
Swallowing correctly
Every now and then, take a conscious, complete swallow with your lips closed. It renews the contact with the palate.
Head over the body
Adjust your screen and seat so that your head stays balanced and does not drift forward.
No chasing before-and-after pictures
Measure your progress by lip closure, nasal breathing and swallowing, not by profile photos.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is mewing?
Mewing is an instruction to place the tongue flat against the palate and keep it there throughout the day, with the lips closed and nasal breathing. It has spread via social media, often with the aim of a more defined jawline. In hard mewing, the tongue is also pressed up with force.
Does mewing work?
The position described is correct: the tip of the tongue belongs against the front of the palate. Whether mewing changes the jawline has not been tested in controlled studies. In our view, mewing fails in everyday life because a consciously held position disappears as soon as your attention is elsewhere.
Is mewing dangerous?
Resting the tongue loosely against the palate is harmless; it corresponds to the tongue reference position. We take a critical view of sustained pressing, clenching and constant chewing of hard chewing gum. In these, the floor of the mouth, chin and masticatory muscles work with force outside their natural sequence, and in our understanding this can reinforce faulty tension and an existing imbalance at the jaw joint. Permanent damage has not been demonstrated, but neither has it been shown to be harmless.
How do you do mewing correctly?
If you try mewing, do it without force. The tip of the tongue rests behind the upper front teeth, the teeth do not touch, the lips are loosely closed and you breathe through your nose. However, this position only holds in the long term once it has been learned as a pattern through swallowing, breathing and head balance.
What do mewing before-and-after pictures show?
Little that is reliable. Lighting, head balance, camera angle and body weight change the visible contour, and a photo cannot distinguish between bone, muscle and soft tissue. A change in the picture therefore does not prove that the jaw has changed.
Will mewing give me a jawline?
The muscle that shapes the contour at the angle of the jaw is the masseter. It works when you bite down, not when the tongue presses. A stronger contour during mewing is more likely to come from biting along or from chewing training. There is no evidence that training can widen the adult jaw.
Can I combine mewing with FaceFormer training?
It is best to leave out the deliberate pressing. You practise the correct tongue position in FaceFormer training anyway, but as part of a sequence with lip closure, nasal breathing, swallowing and head balance. Between sessions, it is enough to let the tongue rest loosely against the palate.
Is mewing suitable for children?
Children learn patterns through repetition in everyday life, not by holding a position constantly. If a child’s mouth is often open or the tongue rests low, it is worth taking a look at breathing and swallowing. You can read more about this under FaceFormer for children.
More articles from the knowledge section
Where to go next
Sources
- Grillo R, Fernandes LA, Rodrigues Dos Santos LA, Lima BC, Brozoski MA, Spagnol G (2026). Dangerous trends on social media related to facial esthetics: Analysis of looksmaxxing and its softmaxxing and hardmaxxing practices. Journal of Stomatology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 127(5):102971. PMID 42674114. Source
- Proffit WR (1978). Equilibrium theory revisited: factors influencing position of the teeth. The Angle Orthodontist 48(3):175-186. PMID 280125. Source
- Proffit WR, Sellers KT (1986). The effect of intermittent forces on eruption of the rabbit incisor. Journal of Dental Research 65(2):118-122. PMID 3455965. Source
- Carlson CR, Sherman JJ, Studts JL, Bertrand PM (1997). The effects of tongue position on mandibular muscle activity. Journal of Orofacial Pain 11(4):291-297. PMID 9656904. Source
- Smaoui S, Langridge A, Steele CM (2020). The Effect of Lingual Resistance Training Interventions on Adult Swallow Function: A Systematic Review. Dysphagia 35(5):745-761. PMID 31612288. Source
- Kiliaridis S, Tzakis MG, Carlsson GE (1995). Effects of fatigue and chewing training on maximal bite force and endurance. American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics 107(4):372-378. PMID 7709901. Source
- Farella M, Bakke M, Michelotti A, Martina R (2001). Effects of prolonged gum chewing on pain and fatigue in human jaw muscles. European Journal of Oral Sciences 109(2):81-85. PMID 11347660. Source
- Watemberg N, Matar M, Har-Gil M, Mahajnah M (2014). The influence of excessive chewing gum use on headache frequency and severity among adolescents. Pediatric Neurology 50(1):69-72. PMID 24188910. Source
- Linder-Aronson S, Woodside DG, Lundström A (1986). Mandibular growth direction following adenoidectomy. American Journal of Orthodontics 89(4):273-284. PMID 3515955. Source
- Korbmacher HM, Schwan M, Berndsen S, Bull J, Kahl-Nieke B (2004). Evaluation of a new concept of myofunctional therapy in children. International Journal of Orofacial Myology 30:39-52. PMID 15832861. Source
- Lear CS, Flanagan JB, Moorrees CF (1965). The frequency of deglutition in man. Archives of Oral Biology 10:83-100. PMID 14262163. Source
Get started
Ready for the training?
The free FaceFormer app guides you through the basic exercises, counts along and reminds you of your sessions. If you wish, a practice from the practitioner directory can support you.
FaceFormer ZERO + ONE
Both material hardnesses for getting started, day and night. The set for adults.
FaceFormer ZERO
The softer FaceFormer for getting started, for children and for the night.
FaceFormer ZERO Children’s Set
ZERO with hygiene box, plush bag and success book with stamp.
FaceFormer training aims to restore the physiological setting of the basic functions of breathing, swallowing and head balance, with lip closure and the tongue reference position, thereby creating the conditions under which symptoms can improve. It does not replace a medical assessment. You can find practitioners near you in the practitioner directory.
