So basically I went away to uni (abroad) for six months and almost every day I was chewing mastic gum. I come back home and one of the first things my dad said to me is, "your face has gotten really fat looking." This is despite me being almost the exact same weight as when I left. (I appreciate his honesty)
I guess what I've read on the forum is pretty much correct then, hypertrophy of the masseters with a recessed face just ends up giving you chipmunk cheeks. Of course, this could be negated mostly by having a low body fat percentage, perhaps sub 10%. But most people don't have this, and I'm around 12-13%.
In any case, I'm probably going to stop with the mastic gum, a wider face doesn't equal a better-looking face if things don't change in proportion to one another, such as the lips and eyes. In fact, it may actually make your face look even worse because the wider masseters actually make the lips and eyes look MORE narrow than what they were before.
Now if you have severely weak musculature on the face, then sure it could be beneficial, if not, just chew your food well. There seems to be no real benefit from chewing mastic every single day from what I found.
Technique matters. Do you mostly chew on your molars?
At the beginning yes, however, I switched to chewing with only my front teeth for two months. Didn't seem to make much difference, perhaps I didn't give it enough time
At the beginning yes, however, I switched to chewing with only my front teeth for two months. Didn't seem to make much difference, perhaps I didn't give it enough time
The point isn't to isolate but to use all teeth. Neither front nor back only.
Got the same results, i'm just chewing to get a longer ramus (what i've heard helps the growth of it) so i'm less recessed because my chin is literally 2,5cm less grown forwars.
Got the same results, i'm just chewing to get a longer ramus (what i've heard helps the growth of it) so i'm less recessed because my chin is literally 2,5cm less grown forwars.
Mewing with teeth apart helped lengthen my ramus since it allowed my molars to drop. I don't know how much I can attribute it to chewing, if at all. Some people who chew excessively on molars actually develop the opposite effect (clockwise rotation of the jaw where the molars go up and the bite gets deep)
I always chewed with my back teeth. I am a class 2 division 2. What happens if I only chew with the front teeth from now on?
I always chewed with my back teeth. I am a class 2 division 2. What happens if I only chew with the front teeth from now on?
I personally rotate clockwise chewing and counterclockwise chewing going from left molar to right molar all while making contact with premolars, canines, and incisors briefly. This way all my teeth get used. It's helped a bit to get my bite more open, since my pattern was Class 3 structure but with premolar extractions causing a deep bite to develop.
I have also experimented with gum chewing by biting up and backwards, and I do feel like this has made my upper palate more "roomy" from front to back, which makes me believe my maxilla lengthened. I say this because if I protract my jaw from where it used to be, I can still be in overbite position. The mechanism by which this helps a deep bite I am guessing is the front to back stretching of the maxilla makes the lower teeth have to sit lower to close the bite. The opposite would happen if the upper palate was too broad; the lower would sit inside it too much, worsening how deep it is.
I think Mew once made an illustration how Class 2 bites involve an upper arch too broad for the lower, causing the upper teeth to cover the lower ones too much.
Does the rotation of the lower jaw while chewing widen the intercanine width? I have always chewed like a dog, forward head posture, skipping the front teeth, and only chewing up and down with no side to side movements.
Does the rotation of the lower jaw while chewing widen the intercanine width? I have always chewed like a dog, forward head posture, skipping the front teeth, and only chewing up and down with no side to side movements.
I think intercanine width comes from the tongue pushing against the canines. But I doubt I know the whole story yet.
Some people who chew excessively on molars actually develop the opposite effect (clockwise rotation of the jaw where the molars go up and the bite gets deep)
Okay, this is interesting since I chew on my molars almost all the time.
Since you said "some people", deepening of the bite isn't an inevitability, right? Only a possibility?
Same. In order to touch my canines with my tongue, I have to push my tongue forward, so that its tip touches the edge of my incisors. In a good mewing position, my tongue touches my molars only (but all of them).
24 years old
Some people who chew excessively on molars actually develop the opposite effect (clockwise rotation of the jaw where the molars go up and the bite gets deep)
Okay, this is interesting since I chew on my molars almost all the time.
Since you said "some people", deepening of the bite isn't an inevitability, right? Only a possibility?
I have experienced my bite get deeper and more open, so either is a possibility.
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