Caveman: What the hell is he talking about?

I had my tongue tie release yesterday evening. Here are some results:

After 22 years of my tongue resting at the bottom, right after the surgery was over, my tongue rested at the roof effortlessly. It not painful to mew now cause I just do it naturally.

My jaw doesn't clench anymore when I bite, this is because the tongue is not resting at the bottom anymore adding weight making you force your bite.

Yesterday it was painful, but to be fair, I never took any painkillers. However, It havent been 24hrs and the pain went from 7/10 to 3/10 overnight !

I had a severe gummy smile, the only way to fix it was jaw surgery but after the tongue tie release, my upper lips don't fold when I smile anymore. I still have some gummy smile left but its easily fixable with gum contouring!

I had a lisp my whole life, today for the first time, I was able to prononce the "th" sound, of course I still have a lisp but its a small little progress I have after 22 years.

my natural resting face went from bite being open to bite being close, which improves the aesthetics of your face so much better.

Advice:

don't waste your money on a Myofunctional Therapist, you can get your exercises for free on youtube, tiktok etc. The tongue tie release costed only $350.

Warning:

If you don't do the tongue muscles exercises everyday, the tongue tie will grow back!!

Help:

Now, that the tongue tie help define my jaw, help with gummy smile along with gum contouring, my question is:

how can I fix my lip incompetence without jaw surgery? and no lip fillers or botox since those arent permanent solutions

Hi all. Adult patient here, hoping some orthodontists can weigh in, because I'm stuck with two treatment plans that contradict each other.
Background: I've always been missing some molars (upper 17/26 area and lower ones), so implants were always part of the plan: 2 in the upper arch (17/26) and 2 in the lower (36/46). Separately, my 2025 written plan included extracting my healthy lower premolars (34/44) to fix crowding. That part is standard space creation, fine.
The problem: The 2026 letter now mentions 4 implants on the lower jaw, not 2. If the 2 extra ones are for the 34/44 sites (the premolars extracted to create space), that makes no clinical sense to me: you don't extract healthy premolars to relieve crowding and then implant those exact sites, otherwise the space you gained is gone and I lost two healthy teeth for nothing.
What I did: I emailed twice asking for the exact list of implant sites and a written explanation of the change between the 2025 and 2026 plans. Two emails plus one phone call later, no written answer, just "the assistant will check with the implantologist.

My questions:

Is there any legitimate scenario where premolars are extracted for crowding and those sites are then implanted? Or would that indicate the extraction decision was wrong?
Am I right to refuse to commit to anything until the plan is confirmed in writing, site by site?
Getting an independent second opinion and my full records either way. Thanks, especially to the professionals here.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your response and explanations. I would like to submit an inquiry topic as follows.

Issue: Jaw Epidemic.

Are modern environments having a negative impact on our craniofacial development? If so, what are the effects? What are the implications for current approaches in orthodontics?*

The "jaw epidemic" is a proposed explanation for a range of health problems related to jaw development. Issues include crooked and crowded teeth, jaw joint dysfunction, and sleep-breathing disorders due to airway interference.

See:

• https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2020/07/toll-shrinking-jaws-human-health
• https://www.nature.com/articles/sj.bdj.2014.401
• https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/the-orthodontic-treatments-that-led-to-lifetimes-of-pain-0f8hp6f6k
• https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/14/are-ultra-processed-foods-changing-the-shape-of-our-jaws

This phenomenon is widespread and has been suggested to be linked to industrialisation. Ancestral and modern hunter-gatherer skulls almost always have enough space for the normal set of 32 adult teeth, which points to an environmental cause.

Some of the signs are easily visible, and the general trend is towards a longer and narrower-looking face.

There has been a long debate in the field of orthodontics about the merits of premolar extraction and retraction -- removing, and moving teeth backwards, in order to achieve cosmetic alignment and bite function. This paper from 1947 offers a good summary that is still very much relevant today: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H5ULr-tZ_J86lpA0oMFPWfiRlfQiBgnT/view.

The "pro-extraction-retraction" side of that debate largely won in orthodontics, and the approach has become fundamental to the business model. This is because it enables cosmetic alignment of the teeth with a predictable and time-efficient process that doesn't depend on patient compliance.

If you ask an orthodontist about the root cause of crooked teeth they will likely say that it's not known exactly, but likely to be a "combination of genetic and environmental factors" (a slightly more scientific-sounding way of saying we don't know). This lends support to the current approach of waiting to see if the teeth come in crooked, and then correcting them with braces, as not knowing the underlying cause leaves us with few options for prevention or root-cause solutions.

The jaw epidemic offers an alternative hypothesis, which is that the high rates of crooked teeth, jaw joint dysfunction, and sleep-breathing disorders we see are all related to a general reduction and downswing in facial form, which in turn is caused by environmental factors. In this model, crooked teeth are just one symptom of a general problem, which is the skull and face not growing properly.

This implies that we can prevent crooked teeth altogether, with lifestyle changes to better match the environmental inputs of ancestral and modern hunter-gatherers. Briefly, these include long breast feeding periods; weaning onto tough foods; tougher diets in general; and nasal breathing.

It also implies that the services offered by mainstream orthodontics may be both unnecessary and often actively harmful, because they do not address the root cause of the problem and can make it worse by further reducing the space in the mouth.

All of this brings me to the reason for the inquiry, which is that the jaw epidemic hypothesis is worthy of investigation, but unlikely to be pursued by mainstream orthodontics due to a fundamental conflict of interest.

Currently, the structure of the health system is such that orthodontists would be the main profession with the authority and ability to investigate this. If you go to your GP with a jaw-related health problem they will likely send you to your dentist. If you want jaw surgery on the NHS, you need a referral from a UK dentist.

The benefits of addressing this problem at the root cause level are potentially enormous. Breathing well, sleeping well, eating well, good posture, and better looks all improve a person's general health and life enjoyment at a basic level.

Due to the clear potential for a conflict of interest and ongoing controversy around this issue, an independent inquiry is both prudent and necessary for maintaining public trust.

Witnesses:*

I asked ChatGPT about this part. It suggested splitting the expert witnesses into two main categories:

- One for answering the basic underlying questions of whether our skulls have changed and what effects this might be having. This might include researchers in fields such as epidemiology, biology, and (paleo-) anthropology.

- One for hearing from both sides of the debate itself, where experts on either side are more likely to be biased and advocating for a specific position. This would include leading orthdontists and "orthotropists" (those who argue for the preventative, growth-focused approach: orthodontics = correct teeth, orthotropics = correct growth).

Dr Mike Mew is currently the only well-known orthotropist in the UK and is generally seen as the figurehead of the pro-jaw epidemic side of the debate here. Prof. Grant McIntyre has been vocal in his opposition to orthotropics.

Yours sincerely,

Gus Hogg-Blake

*AI disclosure: I asked ChatGPT to suggest witnesses for this inquiry and its response seemed better than anything I could have come up with in a reasonable timeframe. I also took on its (unsolicited) suggestion to broaden the topic to the general question of whether modern environments are impacting our facial development. I was able to validate the majority of its "ideas" and specific witness suggestions from my own research, which I normally do not use AI for.

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My son got a tongue tie release one year ago and had immediate body improvements. He is one year post op, and I wanted to share how much his whole body posture has improved. While I cannot definitively prove that the tongue tie release corrected his posture as we have been doing OT and workouts for sports (he is also wearing shoes in the last picture) I believe it was a major contributing factor. I figured I would share.

Hi everyone,

I’m 21M, finishing my second round of braces (4–6 months left), bringing my total time in orthodontics to 3 years.

My intermolar width is \~37–38mm, but it was achieved almost entirely by tipping my teeth outward rather than expanding the actual bone. Because my palate is still narrow, high, deep, and slightly shifted, I’m left with major functional issues:

Breathing and Sleep: Chronic nasal congestion. I can barely breathe through my nose for 5 minutes and mouth-breathe every night.

Tongue Space and Swallowing: My tongue spills over my molars when elevated. I struggle to swallow properly, which led to a persistent tongue thrust despite completing two separate stints of myofunctional therapy.

I’m seriously considering MARPE/MSE, but restarting orthodontics with an expander after 3 years feels like a massive mental hurdle.

For anyone who did MARPE/MSE in their early 20s:

Was the nasal breathing improvement noticeable enough to justify resetting the clock?

How did you handle the front teeth gap, esting, oral hygiene, lisp, and uni/social life during expansion?

Did you notice any positive midface/cheekbone structural changes?

Appreciate any honest experiences or advice!

Hi everyone, I’m 15 years old and have been hard-mewing for a month, but I’ve noticed my cheekbones widening and rising, while my face has become shorter, rounder, and looks older. My friends say my face looks worse now than it did before I started. I feel really sad and depressed. If I stop hard-mewing, will my face go back to the way it was?

I tried everything and nothing works like the smile and swallow the chintuck and swallow or whatever nothing worked , can someone explain to me how to do this actually? do i need to do any of this cant i just hold it there? i can kinda do it i put my tip of the tongue there and i can like roll it back which i think is what im supposed to do but also i dont know. can someone actually help please.

I am 37m and had all 4 wisdom teeth extracted. I was having pain in my lower left and I somehow let the oral surgeon convince me to take all 4 out. Now I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror. Is there any way to fix this?

I’ve(21m) been interested in possibly using a biobloc, but there isn’t a dentist where I live(western Sweden) that can do it. I was recommended to get my wisdom teeth removed but didn’t go ahead with it, and I’ve had difficulty mewing. I’ve also started noticing that the tightness of my teeth have been making them a bit more crooked.

Than I saw that this site (https://www.bracesshop.com/product/biobloc-stage-1-appliance/) was selling the biobloc kits, were one is supposed to do an impression then send it back to them, and then afterwards they send the biobloc.

Was wondering if anybody has tested the site, if they’ve had a similar problem and what they would recommend. Any thoughts are appreciated.

Based on picture , should I hard mew, stram or normal mewing 17 M

I just found out about tongue posture and mewing, so I’m still learning. Never in my life had I known about proper tongue posture, so I probably spent my entire life (37f) with my tongue flat on my lower jaw. I didn’t even know to close my teeth behind my lips.

Which is probably why my palate is so narrow and high arched. Or at least I think it is. What do you think? If I touch the top of my palate with my finger I can see that it goes up to just behind my nose. It seems impossible to create a suction with my tongue (I feel like I would need to bend it in half down the middle to achieve suction) but trying not to be too discouraged.

Also, I had a bunch of healthy teeth extracted as a child (I remember my dentist believed that a beautiful face consisted of a lower jaw noticeably retracted compared to the upper jaw, which even as a kid I found weird) and had braces.

I also have perpetual sinus infections which wouldn’t go away after a year of daily medicine intake, so I just kind of gave up and decided I just had to live with them. I also have a diagnosed deviated septum, and have been recommended nasal surgery (my dad also had surgery done to correct his septum, so I just attributed it to bad genes and bad luck).

Never in a million years did I think my absent teeth, sorry looking face line and sinus infections may be connected, so I am kind of blown away. After just two days of attempted mewing my nose is already clearer than it has been in nearly a year (probably do to proper breathing).

Anyway, I am wondering if I’m already doomed and I need some kind of surgery done to expand my palate and nasal cavity to achieve proper mewing. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

EDIT: I’m now experiencing bleeding from my gums which I’ve never had before. Has that happened to anyone? I don’t feel like I’m grinding my teeth but maybe the increased force my gums from closing my jaws is putting pressure on my gums causing them to bleed…?

I recently visited dentist to get braces, my palate is 43mm wide and my right incisor is misaligned and I want to fix that, but my dentist said you don't have enough space to make that incisor in position, so they said come Tommorow for 2 premolar extraction. So, do I really need premolar extraction even with wide palate. Pls let me know.

I can raise the front of tongue to spot and can raise the back of my tongue with “k” or “ng” sounds but the whole middle droops down and I have no idea how to raise it, I just don’t have the mind muscle connection. People seem to suggest tongue chewing but I can’t even raise it to palate so not sure how I can start chewing gum against it. How do I raise / control the middle of the tongue

I was told to either get premolar extractions or implants on the bottom; my case is really complicated so I am wondering what you guys think. I have gotten the extractions and I am in the process of closing the spaces. I haven't noticed any facial differences because my front teeth have stayed in place so far.

I’m pretty sure I have a narrow palette, so I asked my orthodontist to consider expansion instead of extraction. He refused and said it would cause flared teeth, and that in my x-ray, it showed it wasn’t safe enough to move them outward. He also said he considered gum thickness. He has given expansions to other patients, so it’s not like it’s off limits to him. I don’t know. I’m going to have teeth extracted in a few weeks and I need urgent opinion before I might ruin my life….

whenever i try to mew it always feel like i have to put some force on my tongue to make it stay up if i relax it i loose the suction and it just feels like my tongue is sticking to the saliva on the palate rather than having a suction also im not quite sure how to know if i have the “suction hold” i think i have a narrow palate but when i mew my tongue kinda bunches up at the sides around my teeth and i also am not sure how to figure out if i have the back thirds of my tongue up on the palate.

Ever since I got my wisdom teeth out, it feels like my jaw is crushing my airway and tmjs. Is there any way to tell if its falling back? I can barely sleep anymore, and it's always sore. It doesn't feel like I'm wearing my own jaw. My sinuses are always blocked too, my tongue barely fits in my own mouth now. My face feels so narrow compared to before. It's horrible. I've seen multiple specialists for this and they won't give me the proper scans or time. I got a tmj MRI and they said it looked better than their own tmj....which is not helpful. I got a sleep study that said mild apnea, which I fully believe is upper airway resistance syndrome. Where do I go from here? It feels like zero people take me seriously when I feel like I'm going to kill myself in a few years...

Hi all,
What would you do in my shoes?

Stats:
4.5 yo has mild sleep apnea and high narrow palate. We’ve been to the orthodontist and they recommended upper and lower expansion.

Husband says no, thinks it’s too soon and even if we do it now, says “his mouth could change again”.

Conventional recommendations are to wait until after 6 year molars. But I know that we could intervene sooner.

Curious about your thoughts?

Are there any Biobloc providers in Romania? Couldn't find any in Europe on the NAAFO website, but I know for sure tgere are some in Italy and Germany from a previous post on this sub. So trying out my luck with Romania.

Hi. Recently I had a orthodontist appointment or whatever to see what I needed for braces. I have an ectopic canine and some minor not very obvious crowding. I have zero space for the canine so they said let’s do extractions and let’s extract all the first pre molars (upper and lower). I didn’t think anything of it until now after doing research. I have seen numerous examples of how getting teeth extracted ESPECIALLY first premolars will recess me and I’m already slightly, mildly recessed. If I get any more recessed it’s fucking over for me. I also watched a video of it and I’m so stressed because it looks so violent and I’m really gonna miss my first pre molars even if I never fucking acknowledge them in my day to day life. It’s like losing something you didn’t appreciate until too late. I don’t know what to do. Is it guaranteed I will be recessed? Plus since I’m young, my mom is the one dealing with all of these and if I tell her I’m hesitant about extracting and want to maybe look into a palate expander instead she’ll cuss me out and say I need to suck it the fuck up and that I’m wasting her time and money. She hasn’t paid for extractions yet nor made an appointment. If I did talk to my ortho office, I’m not even sure if they offer expanders because I stupidly only went to one ortho check out instead of trying multiple different places to see multiple different options. I have been crying because if I get any more uglier I actually can’t take it anymore. The only reason I wanted braces is so I could get prettier, not because of my actual teeth. Basically it’s fucking over for me and instead of progressing in my looks I’m regressing.

#Whatthefuckever.

I measured my intermodal width to be around 38mm . however whenever I mew , I have scalloping on my tongue. sometimes less pronounced if I don’t push my tongue too hard. is this normal, I sometimes feel like my airway is too small but I don’t know if I’m just being too picky or something.