TMJ disorders – Why "mewing" can be Dangerous

So to convey the message I will need to talk a little bit about my story and experience after all these years dealing with TMJ disorders (7 years) and “mewing” (4 years). Mewing is quoted because there’s not only one way to “mew”, I call mewing, applying the knowledge on the mecanics of all that maxilla mandible stuff in everyday life, like tongue posture, chewing tough food, lip seal etc. 

I was thinking about not making this thread and 5s later I see an unanswered thread talking about tinnitus and stuffed ear, so I guess people need these informations I will share. 

 

In one line the information is – mewing can lead to more TMJ disorders if you already have, or if you are susceptible to. TMJ disorders include tinnitus, hyperacusis, stuffed ear, clicking in ear, “stabbing” feeling near the ear, pain while chewing, cold sensation around the ear, and more.

 

First you need to understand the basic mecanics involved 

https://youtu.be/PVxlL_lMces?t=97

So as you see in the timestamped video, your TMJ has a bone behind it and above it. When your jaw is too set back, the condyle will collide with the bone, and basically that’s how TMJ disorders occur. With teeth clenched, it can also have pressure from the bone above it. With time, the joint deteriorates, and even BENDS because of the pressure it experiences, as I have personally experienced, as seen on a recent scanner. 

The reason why TMJ disorders include so many other “weirdly related symptoms”, not ONLY pain in the area, but also tinnitus hyperacusis stuffed ear etc – is because in between the condyle and the bones, there are nerves. These should not be pressed against your condyle and bones, because there should be enough space and soft tissue. However, when you’re a XXI century degenerate like me and many others, there is no space and soft tissue has been grinded. So nerves get crushed, or at least somehow “affected” by the ambiant inflammation caused by the pressure forces of your bones. 

 

Actually, everything is explained in this amazing article  https://mskneurology.com/true-cause-solution-temporomandibular-dysfunction-tmd/  , to have a way better understanding of basically what happens how it’s made etc.  Probably this one is a good read too  https://mskneurology.com/association-tinnitus-neck-tmj/

 

I might have a few details wrong like maybe it’s different for hyperacusis and tinnitus, not same nerve or one another is a muscular entrapment and not bony => so please refer to these articles. 

However, since I have a splint to move my jaw forward and keep it open (for horizontal and vertical spacing of the condyle) ; tinnitus, hyperacusis, pain, insomnia because of this, weird irradiating feeling in the neck, all went down.

 

Concerning mewing, eating tough foods in this situation will aggravate the problem, because your tissues deteriorated. A few realizations I had were, “having teeth slightly in contact” was BAD in my situation since as a TMJd boi I don’t have enough space, and also the TONGUE POSTURE was wrong. It is kinda commonly accepted that the tip of the tongue should be right behind the upper incisors, and tongue should maybe exerce some pressure – however I can feel it stabbing my TMJ when I do that.

Why ? Because by calibrating my lower jaw by putting my tip behind the front incisors, my jaw must be set more back, like a few mm. Instead, I feel relieved when my tongue is way more forward, with the tip down behind the DOWN incisors, and jaw more forward. Also if you push too hard with your tongue, 3rd law of Newton – your jaw will be pushed down and BACK. You sure don’t want that. 

 

So, that’s it for all the tinnitus hyperacusis & other weird stuff people in here, have your jaw forward and opened. If you feel concerned by any of this I highly recommand you a read of the articles.