Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCan It Improve Jawline?Can It Reduce Facial Fat?Risks and BenefitsHow to Improve Your Jawline
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Can It Improve Jawline?
Can It Reduce Facial Fat?
Risks and Benefits
How to Improve Your Jawline
Does chewing gum help your jawline? Some believe it may help you get a chiseled jawline, reduce facial fat, or a double chin. However, there is no scientific research to support these claims. Chewing gum, as a type of facial exercise, might give your facial muscles a minor workout, but it is unlikely to create noticeable changes to your jawline.
A type of gum touted for an enhanced jawline is facial fitness gum, but there is no evidence that this gum works. Using this type of gum is related to the practice of mewing, which uses tongue posture and other techniques to attempt to change facial appearance.
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Can Chewing Gum Help Define Your Jawline?
Chewing gum may strengthen the masticatory muscles—the muscles that power jaw movements while you chew.
A small study reported in 2018 on the potential effect of gum chewing exercise on the maximum bite force in adult subjects with different facial morphologies found a significant increase in the ability to chew and grind food.Increases were especially notable in people with dolicho facial morphology, which has longer anterior facial height (from the bridge of the nose to the chin) and shorter posterior (in the region of the ear) facial height.
Chewing gum might also strengthen the muscles of the tongue and cheeks.
One 2019 study investigated the effect of gum chewing training on improving swallowing and feeding.Continuous training increased maximum tongue pressure (TP) and cheek pressure (CP). After training ceased, TP and CP decreased. The researchers concluded that chewing training helped improve swallowing and feeding.
Improved jaw, tongue, and cheek muscle movement or exercise do not affect the appearance of the jawline. Chewing gum also doesn’t improve the jawline because the muscles used in chewing are found in the neck and cheeks.
The shape of your jawline is a result ofgenetics.This means that even if you chewed gum all day for an entire year, you would not see changes to your jawline.
What Is Mewing and Can It Reshape My Face?
Can Chewing Gum Reduce Facial Fat or a Double Chin?
Fat accumulation from weight gain can lead to a double chin, which causes the jawline to be less defined. Chewing, like any muscle activity, doesn’t produce fat loss in specific adjacent areas. Chewing expends a small number of calories.That may be offset if the gum provides calories (about 11 calories per stick unless sugar-free).
One older study even found chewing gum could cause you to eat larger meals.But newer studies contradict that 2013 study, suggesting that chewing gum might suppress appetite and reduce cravings to help you lose weight.Nonetheless, a healthy diet and exercise to lose weight overall are the best ways to reduce facial fat or a double chin.
Chewing gum won’t make your face bigger, either. If you consume more calories than you expend in exercise and activity, you might gain weight. Weight gain sometimes affects the face and chin. However, chewing gum does not cause changes to the jawline or structures or size in the bones of the face or chin since genetics determines these features.
Risks and Benefits of Chewing Gum
Some people like chewing gum because they find it has benefits.
Benefits may include:
If you chew gum occasionally, you should not experience any health risks. However, if you chew gum too often, you might experience some adverse effects.
Such adverse effects include:
How Can I Improve My Jawline?
Nonsurgical
A number of nonsurgical options can be helpful for improving the appearance of your jaw. These include:
Nonsurgical Face-Lift: A Look at Your Options
Surgical
Surgery can offer a permanent way to shape the jawline. It may be offered to people who have moderate to more significant amounts of fat and loose skin around the neck and jawline.
Some surgical options are:
Consult With a Medical ProfessionalYou should consult with a board-certified medical provider before making cosmetic changes to your jawline, chin, or face. This ensures you avoid complications and get the best possible results.
Consult With a Medical Professional
You should consult with a board-certified medical provider before making cosmetic changes to your jawline, chin, or face. This ensures you avoid complications and get the best possible results.
What to Do If Bad Plastic Surgery Happens to You
Summary
Evidence that chewing gum can define the jawline is lacking. It also does not help to break down fat cells in your chin or face.
Too much gum chewing might lead to joint wear and pain, and gastrointestinal troubles. Chewing too much sugary gum might have adverse effects, including weight gain and tooth decay. Weight loss is the most effective way to reduce fat in your face and chin, but not your jawline, since jaw structure results from genetics.
If the appearance of your jaw is a concern, you may want to speak with a medical professional about your options for improving it.
21 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Association of Orthodontists.Does mewing actually reshape your jaw.Lee UK, Graves LL, Friedlander AH. Mewing:Social media’s alternative to orthognathic surgery?.J Oral Maxillofacial Surg. 2019;77(9):1743-1744. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2019.03.024Shirai M, Kawai N, Hichijo N, et al.Effects of gum chewing exercise on maximum bite force according to facial morphology.Clin Exp Dent Res. 2018;4(2):48-51. doi:10.1002/cre2.102Takahashi M, Satoh Y.Effects of gum chewing training on oral function in normal adults: Part 1 investigation of perioral muscle pressure.J Dent Sci. 2019;14(1):38-46. doi:10.1016/j.jds.2018.11.002Ocran E.Muscles of mastication: anatomy, functions, innervation. Kenhub.Richmond S, Howe LJ, Lewis S, Stergiakouli E, Zhurov A.Facial genetics: a brief overview.Front Genet. 2018;9:462. doi:10.3389/fgene.2018.00462van Casteren A, Codd JR, Kupczik K, Plasqui G, Sellers WI, Henry AG.The cost of chewing: the energetics and evolutionary significance of mastication in humans.Sci Adv. 2022;8(33):eabn8351. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abn8351FoodData Central.Chewing gum.Swoboda C, Temple JL.Acute and chronic effects of gum chewing on food reinforcement and energy intake.Eat Behav. 2013;14(2):149-156. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.01.011Park E, Edirisinghe I, Inui T, Kergoat S, Kelley M, Burton-Freeman B.Short-term effects of chewing gum on satiety and afternoon snack intake in healthy weight and obese women.Physiol Behav. 2016;159:64-71. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.03.002Tsaban G, Bilitzky-Kopit A, Yaskolka Meir A, et al.The effect of weight-loss interventions on cervical and chin subcutaneous fat depots; the CENTRAL randomized controlled trial.Nutrients. 2021;13(11):3827. doi:10.3390/nu13113827Allen AP, Smith AP.Chewing gum: cognitive performance, mood, well-being, and associated physiology.Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:654806. doi:10.1155/2015/654806Oral Health Foundation.Sugar-free chewing gum.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Gas in the digestive tract.Mäkinen KK.Gastrointestinal disturbances associated with the consumption of sugar alcohols with special consideration of xylitol: scientific review and instructions for dentists and other health-care professionals.Int J Dent. 2016;2016:5967907. doi:10.1155/2016/5967907Lippi G, Cervellin G, Mattiuzzi C.Gum-chewing and headache: An underestimated trigger of headache pain in migraineurs?.CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2015;14(6):786-790. doi:10.2174/1871527314666150225143105National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.TMD (temporomandibular disorders).Tabrizi R, Karagah T, Aliabadi E, Hoseini SA.Does gum chewing increase the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in individuals with gum chewing habits?.J Craniofac Surg. 2014;25(5):1818-1821. doi:10.1097/SCS.0000000000000993American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How to achieve the ultimate jawline.American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Fat grafting a reliable technique for chin augmentation.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Orthognathic surgery.
21 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Association of Orthodontists.Does mewing actually reshape your jaw.Lee UK, Graves LL, Friedlander AH. Mewing:Social media’s alternative to orthognathic surgery?.J Oral Maxillofacial Surg. 2019;77(9):1743-1744. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2019.03.024Shirai M, Kawai N, Hichijo N, et al.Effects of gum chewing exercise on maximum bite force according to facial morphology.Clin Exp Dent Res. 2018;4(2):48-51. doi:10.1002/cre2.102Takahashi M, Satoh Y.Effects of gum chewing training on oral function in normal adults: Part 1 investigation of perioral muscle pressure.J Dent Sci. 2019;14(1):38-46. doi:10.1016/j.jds.2018.11.002Ocran E.Muscles of mastication: anatomy, functions, innervation. Kenhub.Richmond S, Howe LJ, Lewis S, Stergiakouli E, Zhurov A.Facial genetics: a brief overview.Front Genet. 2018;9:462. doi:10.3389/fgene.2018.00462van Casteren A, Codd JR, Kupczik K, Plasqui G, Sellers WI, Henry AG.The cost of chewing: the energetics and evolutionary significance of mastication in humans.Sci Adv. 2022;8(33):eabn8351. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abn8351FoodData Central.Chewing gum.Swoboda C, Temple JL.Acute and chronic effects of gum chewing on food reinforcement and energy intake.Eat Behav. 2013;14(2):149-156. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.01.011Park E, Edirisinghe I, Inui T, Kergoat S, Kelley M, Burton-Freeman B.Short-term effects of chewing gum on satiety and afternoon snack intake in healthy weight and obese women.Physiol Behav. 2016;159:64-71. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.03.002Tsaban G, Bilitzky-Kopit A, Yaskolka Meir A, et al.The effect of weight-loss interventions on cervical and chin subcutaneous fat depots; the CENTRAL randomized controlled trial.Nutrients. 2021;13(11):3827. doi:10.3390/nu13113827Allen AP, Smith AP.Chewing gum: cognitive performance, mood, well-being, and associated physiology.Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:654806. doi:10.1155/2015/654806Oral Health Foundation.Sugar-free chewing gum.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Gas in the digestive tract.Mäkinen KK.Gastrointestinal disturbances associated with the consumption of sugar alcohols with special consideration of xylitol: scientific review and instructions for dentists and other health-care professionals.Int J Dent. 2016;2016:5967907. doi:10.1155/2016/5967907Lippi G, Cervellin G, Mattiuzzi C.Gum-chewing and headache: An underestimated trigger of headache pain in migraineurs?.CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2015;14(6):786-790. doi:10.2174/1871527314666150225143105National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.TMD (temporomandibular disorders).Tabrizi R, Karagah T, Aliabadi E, Hoseini SA.Does gum chewing increase the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in individuals with gum chewing habits?.J Craniofac Surg. 2014;25(5):1818-1821. doi:10.1097/SCS.0000000000000993American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How to achieve the ultimate jawline.American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Fat grafting a reliable technique for chin augmentation.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Orthognathic surgery.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Association of Orthodontists.Does mewing actually reshape your jaw.Lee UK, Graves LL, Friedlander AH. Mewing:Social media’s alternative to orthognathic surgery?.J Oral Maxillofacial Surg. 2019;77(9):1743-1744. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2019.03.024Shirai M, Kawai N, Hichijo N, et al.Effects of gum chewing exercise on maximum bite force according to facial morphology.Clin Exp Dent Res. 2018;4(2):48-51. doi:10.1002/cre2.102Takahashi M, Satoh Y.Effects of gum chewing training on oral function in normal adults: Part 1 investigation of perioral muscle pressure.J Dent Sci. 2019;14(1):38-46. doi:10.1016/j.jds.2018.11.002Ocran E.Muscles of mastication: anatomy, functions, innervation. Kenhub.Richmond S, Howe LJ, Lewis S, Stergiakouli E, Zhurov A.Facial genetics: a brief overview.Front Genet. 2018;9:462. doi:10.3389/fgene.2018.00462van Casteren A, Codd JR, Kupczik K, Plasqui G, Sellers WI, Henry AG.The cost of chewing: the energetics and evolutionary significance of mastication in humans.Sci Adv. 2022;8(33):eabn8351. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abn8351FoodData Central.Chewing gum.Swoboda C, Temple JL.Acute and chronic effects of gum chewing on food reinforcement and energy intake.Eat Behav. 2013;14(2):149-156. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.01.011Park E, Edirisinghe I, Inui T, Kergoat S, Kelley M, Burton-Freeman B.Short-term effects of chewing gum on satiety and afternoon snack intake in healthy weight and obese women.Physiol Behav. 2016;159:64-71. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.03.002Tsaban G, Bilitzky-Kopit A, Yaskolka Meir A, et al.The effect of weight-loss interventions on cervical and chin subcutaneous fat depots; the CENTRAL randomized controlled trial.Nutrients. 2021;13(11):3827. doi:10.3390/nu13113827Allen AP, Smith AP.Chewing gum: cognitive performance, mood, well-being, and associated physiology.Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:654806. doi:10.1155/2015/654806Oral Health Foundation.Sugar-free chewing gum.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Gas in the digestive tract.Mäkinen KK.Gastrointestinal disturbances associated with the consumption of sugar alcohols with special consideration of xylitol: scientific review and instructions for dentists and other health-care professionals.Int J Dent. 2016;2016:5967907. doi:10.1155/2016/5967907Lippi G, Cervellin G, Mattiuzzi C.Gum-chewing and headache: An underestimated trigger of headache pain in migraineurs?.CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2015;14(6):786-790. doi:10.2174/1871527314666150225143105National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.TMD (temporomandibular disorders).Tabrizi R, Karagah T, Aliabadi E, Hoseini SA.Does gum chewing increase the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in individuals with gum chewing habits?.J Craniofac Surg. 2014;25(5):1818-1821. doi:10.1097/SCS.0000000000000993American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How to achieve the ultimate jawline.American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Fat grafting a reliable technique for chin augmentation.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Orthognathic surgery.
American Association of Orthodontists.Does mewing actually reshape your jaw.
Lee UK, Graves LL, Friedlander AH. Mewing:Social media’s alternative to orthognathic surgery?.J Oral Maxillofacial Surg. 2019;77(9):1743-1744. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2019.03.024
Shirai M, Kawai N, Hichijo N, et al.Effects of gum chewing exercise on maximum bite force according to facial morphology.Clin Exp Dent Res. 2018;4(2):48-51. doi:10.1002/cre2.102
Takahashi M, Satoh Y.Effects of gum chewing training on oral function in normal adults: Part 1 investigation of perioral muscle pressure.J Dent Sci. 2019;14(1):38-46. doi:10.1016/j.jds.2018.11.002
Ocran E.Muscles of mastication: anatomy, functions, innervation. Kenhub.
Richmond S, Howe LJ, Lewis S, Stergiakouli E, Zhurov A.Facial genetics: a brief overview.Front Genet. 2018;9:462. doi:10.3389/fgene.2018.00462
van Casteren A, Codd JR, Kupczik K, Plasqui G, Sellers WI, Henry AG.The cost of chewing: the energetics and evolutionary significance of mastication in humans.Sci Adv. 2022;8(33):eabn8351. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abn8351
FoodData Central.Chewing gum.
Swoboda C, Temple JL.Acute and chronic effects of gum chewing on food reinforcement and energy intake.Eat Behav. 2013;14(2):149-156. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.01.011
Park E, Edirisinghe I, Inui T, Kergoat S, Kelley M, Burton-Freeman B.Short-term effects of chewing gum on satiety and afternoon snack intake in healthy weight and obese women.Physiol Behav. 2016;159:64-71. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.03.002
Tsaban G, Bilitzky-Kopit A, Yaskolka Meir A, et al.The effect of weight-loss interventions on cervical and chin subcutaneous fat depots; the CENTRAL randomized controlled trial.Nutrients. 2021;13(11):3827. doi:10.3390/nu13113827
Allen AP, Smith AP.Chewing gum: cognitive performance, mood, well-being, and associated physiology.Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:654806. doi:10.1155/2015/654806
Oral Health Foundation.Sugar-free chewing gum.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Gas in the digestive tract.
Mäkinen KK.Gastrointestinal disturbances associated with the consumption of sugar alcohols with special consideration of xylitol: scientific review and instructions for dentists and other health-care professionals.Int J Dent. 2016;2016:5967907. doi:10.1155/2016/5967907
Lippi G, Cervellin G, Mattiuzzi C.Gum-chewing and headache: An underestimated trigger of headache pain in migraineurs?.CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2015;14(6):786-790. doi:10.2174/1871527314666150225143105
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.TMD (temporomandibular disorders).
Tabrizi R, Karagah T, Aliabadi E, Hoseini SA.Does gum chewing increase the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in individuals with gum chewing habits?.J Craniofac Surg. 2014;25(5):1818-1821. doi:10.1097/SCS.0000000000000993
American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How to achieve the ultimate jawline.
American Society of Plastic Surgeons.Fat grafting a reliable technique for chin augmentation.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Orthognathic surgery.
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