2.6 The Mewing Catch-22
You Need Space to Make Space
This is Chapter 2.6 of the JawHacks ebook. See the full Table of Contents here.
The Mewing Catch-22
In Chapter 2.4, we discussed the first reason why Mewing alone cannot be relied upon to expand adult jaws: because by age 16–22, adult facial bones are fully fused.
Now we will discuss the second reason why adults cannot simply Mew their way to bigger jaws: the Mewing Catch-22.
The Mewing Catch-22 is the observation that in order to get big jaws, one must Mew effectively. But in order to Mew effectively, one must have big jaws.
Thus, when it comes to efficacy of Mewing, the rich get richer and the poor stay poor.
Tongue Posture with Small Jaws
For example, consider proper tongue posture. You can’t suction your tongue onto the roof of your mouth if the roof of your mouth is too short and narrow. There’s just no place for your tongue to go!
In the words of Dr. Felix Liao, it’s like trying to stuff a “six-foot tiger [into a] three-foot cage.”
That’s why you get so many comments under Mewing videos asking things like:
“Why can’t I get the back half of my tongue onto the roof of my mouth?”
Answer: Your maxilla is too short.
“Why is my tongue poking through my front teeth?”