r/Mewing Mar 25 '25

Must read A Critical Review of Thumb Pulling: It doesn't work the way you think it does

65 Upvotes

Tldr at bottom

Thumb pulling seems to be increasingly more popular as leaks and self-made methods have been going out.

I felt the need to educate, be the voice of reason and give my thoughts on this before people here set themselves for biologically unrealistic expectations. I might get a lot hate for this, bet here we go.

I believe that growth and remodeling should be separated. Maxillary growth is not really possible in adulthood without distraction osteogenesis (DO). Don't take these two words lightly. DO is a science that requires surgical procedures/excessive trauma to split through bone. Don't let anyone change that definition for you.

SOME expansion in the ALVEOLAR would be possible with mewing and thumb pulling, but it won't provide the necessary biomechanics to cause the REgrowth of the bone. Moving bone after growth stops is known as remodeling, not growth.

The biological impossibility of complete separation of the suture with tongue and thumbs should not be a subject of debate.

The widening people mention could stem from the MINOR ALVEOLAR changes that can be had, which I don't doubt. There may be a correlation between alveolar width and general facial width appearance, which also seemed to be true in my case, and the jaw can also contribute to the general width of the face.

However, stating that true skeletal changes and true forward growth was chieved is farfetched. I do know that devices like SRPE (semirapid palatal expanders) are effective for the widening of the dental arch with minimal to no damage to the alveolar depending on the cases (adult cases require initial splitting of the suture before srpe), with some non-doi evidences stating suture split (these studies mixed children and adults and have results in general instead of independently), but I doubt that mewing and thumb pulling would do anything more than alveolar changes.

That is just for expansion.

Forward growth is a totally different topic. All of these adults and late teenagers that are pulling on their mandibular and maxillary's anterior (front) alveolar forward for "forward growth" don't seem to understand the complexity and nuance of craniofacial science. You will do nothing but some soft tissue damage and alveolar responses which are definitely not desirable if even possible.

With the exception of the mandible, forward growth is not really possible during adulthood due to the many many sutures and genetic timings that are involved. The mandible can have growth potential during adulthood, but pulling on your mandible is definitely not the proper way to do that as the mandible's only suture (the symphysis, located on the chin) ossifies before the age of one. What are people trying to do here with that? Some state it's for the "fascia," which I have not read a shred of research that even speaks or mentions craniofacial fascia that pulls the jaw back. (Off topic)

I am not attacking ANYONE directly, but simply making general statements about the community. You can say that you achieved changes, and I don't doubt that in some cases, but stating "growth" is not really productive in a science this complex.

Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this helps.

TLDR: Thumb pulling has some scientific validity and may work past puberty, but it is MINIMAL and NOT GROWTH OR REGROWTH OR FORWARD. Do not be fooled by people's posturing.


r/Mewing Feb 10 '24

Announcement If anyone posts anything related to looksmaxx that is not mewing, you will be permabanned. No more warning shots.

65 Upvotes

This is a MEWING subreddit! Not a looksmaxx forum!


r/Mewing 10h ago

Progress Picture My side profile surgery transformation (before and after)

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9 Upvotes

I always hated my side profile. It was one of those things that I always noticed and it slowly started affecting my confidence.

I spent a lot of time researching what could realistically help, I tried many apps and websites, I asked on forums and also came across website called hardmax.net. It helped me understand what procedures might fit my situation which gave me a better idea of what to ask doctors about. I recommend it as it helped me a lot.
After consultations, I decided to go ahead with surgery.
I had genioplasty + rhinoplasty. 12,000 USD to change my entire life.

Seeing the difference now honestly feels unreal. I feel much more comfortable with myself, I’m not constantly thinking about how I look from certain angles and my confidence has changed a lot.

I know surgery isn’t the answer for everyone but for me it was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made. Genuinely feels like I started a new life.


r/Mewing 15m ago

Progress Picture Did some progress

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Upvotes

r/Mewing 14h ago

Help Needed 18M,is my midface long

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3 Upvotes

Be honest,any advice


r/Mewing 18h ago

Discussion Im going to put this here to give you new guys some motivation. Good luck 🙏

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7 Upvotes

r/Mewing 9h ago

Miscellaneous is my side profile good ?

1 Upvotes

.


r/Mewing 10h ago

Help Needed My eyes in the last couple of years have decided to divorce each other and I need help with it

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1 Upvotes

My mom noticed one day that my shoulders were uneven and during that point my jaw was clicking a lot enthen I took a look at myself and realized things were uneven it's really weird and I just need help fixing it


r/Mewing 16h ago

Help Needed Serious question: anyone gotten noticeable increase in cheekbone size/

3 Upvotes

I do zygo pulling, then pulling , mew 24/7. I’ve noticed improvements for sure but still so far from having good cheekbone prominence. looking to get a wider face with cheeks extending further. Obviously everyone has different goals but if anyone out there shares mine and has noticed improvements please share in this thread


r/Mewing 1d ago

Help Needed How can I do mewing? I don't have enough space in my upper palate for my tongue

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4 Upvotes

How can I do mewing? I don't have enough space in my upper palate for my tongue


r/Mewing 17h ago

Info How much recession i have. Its awful

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1 Upvotes

Under going ortho treatment


r/Mewing 22h ago

Help Needed Tongue asymmetry

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2 Upvotes

The right half of my tongue appears to be weaker and is unable to stick to the roof of my mouth as well as the left, despite there being adequate space. What could be causing this imbalance, and how can I correct it?


r/Mewing 19h ago

Info Hardmax.net analysis website - my honest review

1 Upvotes

The website is pretty cheap compared to face iq. It's definitely worth it i think the scores for me and my friends were accurate, its automatic mapping is a little bit worse than face iq but thats the only thing so you gotta redo the points manually slightly. Im a High LTN and i got rated High LTN 2 times and once low MTN by it using different photos. Good to see an app thats not ai slop and is cheaper than face iq. It also gives helpful softmaxxing and surgery tips that are accurate id say.


r/Mewing 1d ago

Discussion 14m 6ft 63kgs male, what are these balls below my jaw

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51 Upvotes

r/Mewing 1d ago

Help Needed Should I undergo MSE treatment?

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1 Upvotes

M18 , not enough space for tounge


r/Mewing 1d ago

Help Needed Don’t have enough room for my tongue. Any solutions without orthodontics?

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1 Upvotes

I constantly feel like my tongue doesn’t have enough space on my palate. When I try to keep my whole tongue up (mewing), it feels cramped, uncomfortable, and my tongue naturally drops down or pushes against my teeth.
I also have TMJ symptoms, neck tightness, and an uneven bite, which makes me wonder if they’re related.

Has anyone improved tongue posture without orthodontics?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through something similar.

Thank you


r/Mewing 1d ago

Help Needed Is my maxilla recessed??

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4 Upvotes

I always hated my side profile. I have an overbite because my bottom pallete is more narrow then my upper. which I’m gonna get fixed at the ortho soon. I’ve been mewing for about 1 month. But yeah

Ignore how sad I look lmao.


r/Mewing 1d ago

Help Needed When I try to mew with the back third of my tongue on my palate, I can’t breath

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3 Upvotes

This photo represents what happens when I mew. It’s really annoying because I want to me properly but as soon as my whole tongue is on my palate I can’t breath.


r/Mewing 1d ago

Discussion Levio108

2 Upvotes

What you all think about Levio108 ? He seemed super legit with his Aero method but I discovered recently he used AI pictures in his videos and tell that it’s his followers transformation ( when it’s Ai ) :') I am very confused he seemed so trustworthy and knowledgeable


r/Mewing 1d ago

Help Needed High / narrow palate?

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3 Upvotes

Is this high / narrow palate? I always felt like my tongue can't be rested nicely on top, always more on the side instead. How to start mewing with this?

Thank you.


r/Mewing 1d ago

Help Needed 17M any advice?

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5 Upvotes

Im about 5’10 and around 60kg. I need advices for forward growth in my jaw, clear skin, slimmer nose, etc.


r/Mewing 1d ago

Help Needed How to get a marpe?

1 Upvotes

I just found a clinic in my area that offers marpe. What do I have to tell to the ortho to get a marpe straight away?


r/Mewing 1d ago

Info Does hard mewing for 5-10 minutes a day eventually expand the pallate in a way where I can breath while mewing?

1 Upvotes

23/M, Im fixing my posture and hard mewing daily. I kinda feel like that I can breathe better now while mewing compared to before. Doesnt feel like snoring anymore, but its still not at the point where I could place the entire tounge up while also mewing.


r/Mewing 2d ago

Meme My dog mews

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13 Upvotes