SPECIALTIES

The videos are all over Instagram and TikTok, which means many Huszti Dental Care patients are asking about them. In these trends, young men – mostly – chew on a flexible silicone ball and their jawlines are instantly transformed into the chiseled look of a male model. Other videos demonstrate “mewing” the practice of pressing your tongue to the roof of your closed mouth. Done regularly, it is said to reduce sagging skin under your chin, thus creating a square jawline. Spoiler alert: No matter what these videos may show, these practices don’t work and may even be detrimental. Let’s start with mewing. This has been around since the 1970s and its creators say it helps resolve issues from misaligned teeth to sleep apnea, speech disorders and more. Disorders like these, the creators – Dr. John Mew and his son Mike – say have been caused by the fact that people’s jaws are getting smaller. That part is true. Chances are it won’t hurt you, but here is very little evidence to support the doctors’ claims. The funny part is that, if not done properly, there is some reason to believe mewing can lead to the very things it was meant to fix. Give this one a pass. The more problematic of these two trends is the one often called Jawzrsize, for the product that launched the craze. Chewing on a rubber or silicone ball as a jaw workout designed to square up the jaw and reduce double chins. Doing this can strengthen your bite, but for the vast majority of people, there is no need for that. Problem No. 1 is that patients can develop temporomandibular disorders, which is pain in the jaw and the muscles that control it. Injuries can occur causing popping and clicking of the jaw and, importantly, pain. A second possibility dentists worry about with jaw strengtheners, is that the device puts force on the teeth in ways that could cause them to move, causing alignment issues and loosening of teeth. Another potential problem is that chewing stimulates the production of stomach acid because the body thinks it’s getting some food. Because it is not, the extra acid the body produces can lead to acid reflux, which erodes teeth. We’ve said this over and over , and we’ll say it again. Don’t take medical advice from teenagers on social media. Huszti Dental Care professionals can explain the pros and cons and help you to make an informed choice. And always remember, just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true.