Or does it cause more harm than good?
It builds the jaw great.
...
Also destroys the teeth and can shorten your lower third due to the teeth wear.
Kurt Cobain grinded his teeth constantly and even did so in a circular chewing motion at times; he had great jaws and a great face despite 13+ years of scoliosis that should have in theory had some consequence to his face due to such bad posture. (at least, I would assume) Don't set out to grind your teeth as a replacement for chewing gum, though, in case that's what you're thinking. There are likely other negative effects in addition to ruining your teeth.
I just googled Kurt Cobain since I had no idea what he looked like (never really got into the sad pseudo-lumberjack Seattle music). Anyway, some comments about his appearance
In the above pic his forehead is sloped which according to online CFD experts is a no-no. Of course a general study of human sexual dimorphism dismisses that idea entirely. His profile to me looks healthy. Good gonial angle, great eye support, excellent chin projection. From the front he appears brachyfacial which IMO is preferable for men.
Now on to the next one:
Here you can see his lower third height is nothing impressive. It actually is exactly the same height (give or take) as his middle third which gives a bit of an androgynous look. However his other features are so well developed that it doesn't seem to affect his facial quality much if at all in a negative way. After all, many men in performing arts I notice have shortened lower thirds anyway. It's not as if jocks get into music or theater.
My final assessment is that a genetic component is definitely present. He wasn't a bad looking dude at all. Even if his frontal view wasn't textbook dimorphic his other features saved him.
That said, he isn't the only one with bruxism. I have mild bruxism myself and don't have the sharp gonial angle displayed by many with it. Also, my lower third isn't deficient and in fact is quite tall for my face even though I am dolichofacial. But the men in my family all have strong lower thirds so this isn't a surprise.
Your own personal appearance is affected by way more than habits. I had the worst posture to the point I developed asthma, lower back pain, and possibly shrunk myself 3 inches. Still had a post orthodontics palate width of 38mm. And this is with being a narrow skulled horse faced guy with a negative incisor inclination (post ortho). I also developed an underbite in college before braces. I will admit my resting my tongue on my lower jaw may have helped my mandibular development (I heard Mike Mew talk about this).
Truth be told there is way more we don't yet understand.
So does this mean chewing also makes your lower third shorter?
So does this mean chewing also makes your lower third shorter?
No because chewing doesn't put as much wear on the teeth as bruxism does. Especially considering many with bruxism grind for hours a day and through the night.
Also, chewing places something between the teeth so the teeth grind the bolus, not the other teeth.
Skull and Jaw Correction
Join hundreds who are Tensegrity Mewing, enhancing the good results of mewing and reversing damage. Free Newsletter and Classes
Your email is safe with us, we don’t spam