Menu
NOTICE:
DO NOT ATTEMPT TREATMENT WITHOUT LICENCED MEDICAL CONSULTATION AND SUPERVISION
This is a public discussion forum. The owners, staff, and users of this website are not engaged in rendering professional services to the individual reader. Do not use the content of this website as an alternative to personal examination and advice from licenced healthcare providers. Do not begin, delay, or discontinue treatments and/or exercises without licenced medical supervision.
For a long time, I relied mostly on tongue chewing, chin tucks, and face pulling for results. I took Mike Mew’s word as gospel that the tip of the tongue must sit right behind the front teeth, on the roof of the mouth. This made a suction-hold feel nearly impossible to hold, and I pretty much never did it unless I was consciously doing exercises.
One day I realized that if I extend the tip of my tongue further, until it curls over and is behind my front LOWER teeth (the tip is now pointing closer to the ground), I can actually maintain a suction hold! And a MUCH stronger suction hold too! My tongue is finally out of my throat too and I can breathe easily.
I saw someone mention this elsewhere (not sure what thread), but I wanted to share my experience here. I have had no problem habituating this posture – at least, no more challenge than I imagine others experience while changing their tongue posture. It is certainly much easier to habituate than having the tip in “the spot” Mike advocates. My front teeth have not tipped from this posture, because despite the placement of the tip, I only exert force on my palate. This is not hard to do.
This does NOT feel unnatural – it feels much more natural than “the spot.” I imagine that as my tongue space increases, I will eventually shift into the posture Mike advocates. But for now, doing this feels infinitely more “right” and has accelerated my results in the past few months.
For anyone that finds a suction hold very difficult to hold, or feels that they can’t breathe while holding a suction hold… I urge you to explore changing your posture like this.
It really feels like there is so much suction force to be exerted on the palate by the posterior section of the tongue, but I could not access that strength while my whole tongue was scrunched up inside my mouth as a result of keeping my tip in “the spot.” Our buccal cavities are too small for our tongues, and I think many of us have to choose between the tip being in the ideal spot, or the posterior third being in the ideal spot (more advanced forward in the mouth). I think there is so much to gain by getting that posterior third out of your airway and in a more powerful position.
I agree. I always found the opposite way too unnatural. Having the tip of my tongue rest right behind my incisors allows me to place my tongue on the entire palate
I’m happy that you’re experimenting with ways that work for you. The “entire tongue on roof of mouth” is likely not viable for people who have more tongue than mouth. The guide article is how Mew + myofunctional therapists teach the resting posture, although even they vary in tip location
“The spot” is not agreed upon by anyone. We all have to use different techniques at times to stimulate change.
That’s awesome to see here, I felt like I was being told everywhere that I’m doing it wrong!
There is a lot to be gained from this. Also consider that this is not a game of finding the one perfect trick to rebuilding one’s mouth. A variety of postures can be adopted each for some of the time. There is a tendency to ignore the mandible and adopt the wishful thinking that it just catches up naturally. To me Helmutstrebl’s result show the problem with both these ways of thinking. I saw this idea expressed by Growrightordie in his post on Lookism about the palatoglossus muscle, unfortunately he disappeared so we have no update on how he has progessed.
@Odys What would the alternative be, for actively expanding the mandible? Are you talking about an oral appliance or exercise/posture?
That one’s tongue should at sometime in the day occupy the lower arch to counteract the inward forces of the cheeks and lower lip. I thought the posture you described did that despite the intentional application of pressure being to the roof of the mouth. Growrightordie suggested contracting the palatoglossus with the tip of the tongue touching the upper incisors to tip them out. Some caution is needed after Helmutstrebl’s experience of looking in the mirror one day and seeing that his upper incisors had tipped out too much; he was not even applying pressure to them directly. I occasionally adopt the tongue position you do and contract the palatoglossus. Even if it achieves nothing in expansion, it seems like an action that supports the rotation of the maxilla and mandible that I am looking to achieve. I do not have a regime of exercises for my lower dental arch but when I do put my tongue in my lower dental arch I bow, twist and tilt my head. It has never seemed obviously correct to me, at least with the way that my teeth are arranged, that chewing would expand the smaller of my dental arches to fit the larger rather than the converse. I do believe in the automatic catch up theory (with no idea how it happens), but I think the mandible could do with a little help. I have experienced good results both in widening and tipping out of my lower dental arch. This may or may not have anything to do with the intentional actions I have described.
@Odys how do you contract the palatoglossus? Does it feel like tightening your throat?
It feels like pulling the back of the roof of your mouth back and down. It should not create contraction down into the throat though it is tightening the space at the back of the mouth. Sorry perhaps others will be able to offer tips for recruiting it.
@Odys I think I get what you’re saying… does it feel like you’re suctioning the soft palate downwards?
I feel it more as a pulling back of the maxilla resulting in a static tongue feeling as if it is driving forward between the teeth. The downward sensation at the back is secondary.
@ray135 do you also swallow in this position with the blade of the tongue behind the lower incisors?
@Odys Ah, I see. As far as how it feels, I feel like just the tip behind my lower incisors won’t do much for remodeling the mandible. If anything, I’d imagine tipping those teeth. But we’ll see, it really feels like I put nearly no force there.
My upper arch has expanded since starting mewing, but my bite has remained great (though crowded still). I suspect chewing helps a lot here, as it makes the lower teeth continue to fit into an expanding upper arch.
@Apollo Yes, I do.
THE GREAT WORK