Meta: An internet rumor is going around that chewing gum will give you a more defined jawline. But is this the truth?
There’s yet another viral trend going around on the internet that promises to make you look and feel better about yourself, but doctors and dentists are cautioning against it, saying it’s not quite accurate.
You see, many YouTube videos have debuted claiming that chewing gum can strengthen the masseter muscles of the jaw, and in turn create a streamlined jaw by building and exercising the muscle.
Unfortunately, however, this simply isn’t as simple as it sounds. According to experts in order to see any real change in the shape of the masseter, the gum chewer would need to chew gum for about six to eight hours per day for about six years. Yes, years! Not really worth the effort if you think about it. Plus, you aren’t guaranteed results, and even if you do see results you may not see the results you are looking for.
This is because everyone’s face is different. What looks good on your favorite influencer may work totally differently on your face. Many factors go into what shapes your masseter muscles, including where your salivary glands are, your bone structure, and the skin and fat in your neck and cheeks.
Worse yet, not only will this trend not really help create a defined jaw, if you don’t use sugarless gum, you could be opening yourself (and your mouth!) up to cavities and gum disease. Furthermore, that much chewing is just asking for problems with your temporomandibular joint, or in other words, a temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ dysfunction).
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction is a condition where the TMJ joint of the jaw becomes misaligned from the jaw itself and pops in and out as you open and close your mouth. This can cause a popping and clicking noise when you open and close your mouth, tinnitus, jaw pain, migraine headaches, neck aches, back aches, difficulty speaking, difficulty chewing, and difficulty opening and closing your mouth.
If you do have TMJ dysfunction, Dr. Abelar can help. Dr. Abelar offers custom TMJ orthotics that can reposition the jaw in such a way that the TMJ joint becomes realigned with the jaw, healing the jaw naturally. These orthotics are comfortable and effective. To learn more about sleep orthotics from Dr. Abelar, please contact the office today.
