Questions & Answers
The examples below are general questions to John Mew. The answers to this questions may help others.
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From: Boja K
Category: Orthotropics Treatment
MSE and other RPE long-term stability
Question:
Is there proof of long-term expansion stability with MSE/MARPE and other rapid expansion methods? Since the fractured area is filled in with calcified scar tissue rather than healthy bone, would this mean that the scar tissue will relapse continuously over a period of some years and go back to the pre-expanded state?
Answer:
Dear Boja K and Anna J If you X-ray a maxilla that has been expanded rapidly there will be a black space between the two halves of the maxilla. It will take six to nine months for the bone to reform and relapse will be very quick if this is not retained.
Many of the osteoblasts are destroyed during this process and never recover. Prof John Mew.
From: Kendal D
Category: Orthotropics Treatment
Deviated Septum
Question:
I have an 8 year old daughter with a deviated septum and she has suffered from congestion her whole life (assuming it is from this). She needs top and bottom expander and the ortho thinks this could possibly create more space in her nasal passages and have better airflow. Has anyone had this and notice it helped? We have been to two different orthodontists who say due to my kids crowding and projection of overbite she has to get upper extractions of the bi cuspids before they will do braces. I’ve asked why they can’t pull back the bite since there is a gap and both orthodontists have said a flat no- it is not possible. I’m not a fan of extractions but feel like we have no choice - since she is in need of braces. Thoughts?
John Mew. the distance between her first molars should be in the high 30s. Orthotropists routinely expand crowded cases by 10mm. Research shows that this open the nasal airway without any extractions
Answer:
Dear Kendal D the research suggests expansion is better for the airway than removing Ts and As.
As all of you will realize we have two views here. Before world war two, most orthodontist avoided extractions, but in 1940 Charles Tweed found that it was easier to straighten the teeth is some were extracted. This was adopted by almost all teaching schools.
Since then extractions have been the rule. However all our ancestors had plenty of room for their teeth and so do all our mammalian relatives. I n 1981 I suggested that it was modern life style that was changing the way our jaws grew (Orthotropics) and that the best way to correct this was to change our mouth posture. Unfortunately you can not measure mouth posture over time so there was no proof.
However you can compare results - see this link. https://www.dropbox.com/.../29w6oqyhrq.../Good-faces.pptx... These Orthotropic results can be compared with Orthodontic results with extractions.
In addition Orthodontic treatment will not change the face more than two possibly three millimetres but as you can see Orthotropics will create 20 to 30mm of facial change. Because of this it can avoid almost all surgery and provide more attractive 'natural' faces.
So we have an entirely new situation while the public want Orthotropics for their children, the profession wish to continue as before. In the UK the situation is worse because the orthodontists have persuaded the government to ban Orthotropics.
This situation will not change until the weight of public opinion forces orthodontists to change. Professor John Mew.
From: Tom B
Category: Mewing
Growth is influenced by posture
Question:
So we could say, when the posture is correct aka mewing, the slide is going up. When the person isn’t mewing the slide is scaling down. But the slide never stays the same because at any point someone is either mewing or not (so it’s either going forward or backward) and there’s not really an in between (your either mewing or not ). So the slide is either moving forward or backward (but obviously if someone is at the maximum beauty they won’t be able to slide up the scale anymore). Is that right?
Answer:
Fairly close Tom, every person and animal grows to the shape set by its genes. However for the jaws only, this growth is influenced by posture (this is because the teeth have to meet perfectly and the genes are not able to achieve this.
Perfect posture creates perfect form but this is not instant it takes time. The longer you leave your mouth open the further down your jaw grows, but if you then start keeping your mouth closed it grows the other way.
So yes it is reversible and that is what Orthotropics and mewing do.
From: Jun W
Category: Mewing
Soreness in Face
Question:
Is it fine that I feel soreness at the middle of my face probably my maxilla when ever I do mewing some time during the days I feel this weird soreness at the maxilla. Please tell me if it's trying to reposition or I'm damaging something.
Answer:
It sounds to me as though you are pushing with your tongue. Remember mewing is no more than posture, no pushing or sucking unless you are actually swallowing when you push on your rugae with your tongue before deglutition.