Several people with an overbite (who also mew) have reported that mewing has made their overbite worse. On the other hand, some users state that mewing has decreased their overbite.
You can mew with an overbite, but you should do so with support from a dental professional. Mewing expands your maxilla and could push it forward. But it doesn’t apply an equal amount of expansion for the lower jaw, so it could potentially make your overbite worse.
An overbite is a problem that you can resolve through professional advice. There are appliances to correct an overbite that work much better than mewing. A dentist or an orthodontist can administer these solutions.
How to Fix an Overbite
An overbite happens when the upper teeth overlap with the lower ones. Most of the time, an overbite is a normal occurrence and is even ideal. Teeth that are directly on top of each other could cause grinding and pain. But sometimes, the overbite is prominent. That’s when the problem surfaces.
A deep overbite can potentially cause many problems. First, it can drastically change your appearance. Instead of a balanced and proportioned face, a person with an overbite will look odd. Not being confident in oneself can cause many psychological problems down the road.
There are also health problems that a deep overbite can cause. Some of the more severe examples are sleep apnea and severe headaches. In addition to that, a person with an overbite could also have problems with closing their mouth. They could also experience slight jaw discomfort. Having a deep overbite is correlated with TMJ (Maruo (2017).
Fixing an overbite is not an overly complicated process. It is easier to correct in children than in adults. But even in adults, it doesn’t need to be too complex. However, overbites caused by bone or jaw structure deformities will need surgery.
Here are a couple of options that you can opt for when trying to fix your overbite:
Braces
Braces are the most common way to fix an overbite. It works by moving only the teeth. This movement aligns them better and improves the state of the overbite. The amount of space you move teeth however is limited by your alveolar bone.
Invisalign
Essentially, Invisalign is just a clear version of braces. Invisalign clear aligners work in basically the same way as braces. The appliance moves the teeth appropriately to get the correct alignment. However, Invisalign is not as powerful. Sometimes braces will be necessary instead of Invisalign.
Surgery
Surgery is an option for deep overbites that are caused by bone structure or jaw malformation. In these situations, surgery is the only option that will work. The other methods will not be effective.
Teeth Extractions
Removing teeth gives some room for the rest of the teeth to grow properly. This option is not the first choice of dentists or orthodontists, who would rather avoid this option as much as possible. Indeed, moving teeth around makes part of your jaw resorb and will create less space in your mouth. Extractions usually have a negative effect on facial aesthetics, especially when they’re applied too liberally.
Nevertheless, teeth extractions are still a choice for treating an overbite.
Mewing With an Overbite
Mewing with an overbite is a topic that still has no real conclusions. Some people on the internet claim that mewing has made their overbite worse, while others claim otherwise.
Mewing expands the roof of the mouth and pushes it up and forward. While there are changes also made to the mandible or the lower jaw, it’s not really for fixing an overbite. Because the maxilla should move forward with mewing, this could make the overbite worse. So, it is incredibly crucial to get other treatment to fix your overbite.
Take a look at this illustration of how mewing correctly can change your jaw.
Mewing does bring the lower jaw upward. But the main premise of mewing itself concentrates on the roof of the mouth. Thus, the changes happening to the lower portion are not enough. Also, keep in mind that these changes take years and hard mewing especially would move the maxilla faster than the mandible can keep up with it.
Mewing with an overbite also presents some challenges. For example, people who have overbites might have difficulty swallowing or closing their mouths. Both of these things are crucial in mewing properly. If you have an overbite, then it will be more challenging to mew correctly. Additionally, people who have deep overbites could have a smaller palate. Having a palate that is large enough to fit your tongue is essential in mewing. Without it, mewing correctly would not be possible.
Conclusion
Mewing with an overbite has some risks to it. But, when done correctly, you should have no problem. The crucial part is to get additional dental support to fix your overbite. Don’t expect mewing to fix your overbite because that likely won’t happen. Don’t do hard mewing. Getting professional help for your overbite will go further than trying to fix it with mewing.
Mewing has a ton of health and aesthetic benefits that you can take advantage of. You can still have all of those benefits by getting your overbite fixed via some other way. It is also incredibly important to do mewing correctly. Some aspects of having an overbite could impair your ability to mew correctly. That could contribute to mewing making an overbite worse. Mewing incorrectly could do much more harm than good.
Brush up on our ultimate mewing guide and top mewing mistakes to make sure you don’t make any serious mewing mistakes.
My final recommendation would be that mewing with an overbite is overall okay and is completely up to you, provided you’re not actually pressing hard. Consider your options and be certain that you are implementing all the safety precautions you can. After all, you don’t want to end up like those people whose overbite became worse.
