I am currently 15, and have found out about mewing not so long ago. I clearly have a craniofacial dystrophy, and I lack much forward skull growth.
Problem is that I have a retainer that I wear everynight, and I heard that those cause more damage when combined with mewing (since your teeth go back and forward daily).
My retainer does have a built in palate extender though that I am able to adjust. Image: Here
I am too afraid to adjust it, though. My orthodontist told me to simply wear it everynight, and I don't have contact with him (and won't be able to) for at least seven months. No, it's not possible to discuss it with him, or ask him to adjust it himself.
What should I do? Wear a retainer, and not mew? Mew, and wear a retainer at night? Adjust my retainer everynight, wear it at night, and mew?
Ty in advance
Fu** no you shouldn't ditch it!! Listen... Your facial upswing is NOT connected to the expansion of the palate. You can get your maxilla to move forwards, and upwards without the teeth changing. It's about compacting the maxilla bone through how you eat, drink, swallow and stand (posture).
The expansion of the palate just makes your face wider. I repeat you do NOT need expansion to acheive forwards growth. Use it every night but rotate the usage. One night put it on top teeth only, then second night only put it on bottom teeth etc. This will help your bite stay good .
Do not stop using your retainer.
Kind regards kid.
some retainers can prevent forward grow like the hawley retainer fixed retainers are good but you wear a expander each nigth which pushes everything out which is perfect
Forwards growth is achieved by compressing the maxilla upwards making the face more compact, which moves it forwards. Retainers shouldn’t stop that.
You have to also understand that your teeth are connected in a periodontal membrane, it is all connected. Meaning, if you use something like a Clear/Plastic/Essix or Invisalign Retainer at night, all of the progress that you have done during the day mewing would have been undone because your retainer are meant to keep your teeth in the same position, thus prevent expansion. Now a fixed retainer, I'm not sure, you SHOULD be able to get some expansion as the fixed retainer only covers behind the top and bottom 4 teeth as opposed to the clear retainers covering the entirety of all your teeth, however, some claim, and even Mike Mew in his video on fixed retainers, that he suggests to just mew instead in hopes that you won't get relapse or crowded teeth again without even a fixed retainer. I myself am really unsure about this and have gotten valid arguments from both sides of what you should do in regards to this, however, I am leaning more towards maybe just getting a fixed/bonded permanent retainer behind my top and bottom 4 teeth to maintain the general alignment of my front teeth and prevent possible relapse but also gain mewing results.
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