Have you been wondering about how to tighten your jawline naturally? You’ve probably heard that chewing gum might be the secret to a sharper jaw, but does it really work?
The rumors might just be true! This simple, everyday habit can be an effective tool to help you achieve a more defined jawline - if you do it right.
So, how exactly does chewing gum help your jawline definition?
In this article, we’ll explore how chewing gum can help define your jawline, the potential benefits, and the drawbacks to watch out for.
Learn more here about the reasons why you don’t have a jawline.
Does Chewing Gum Help Your Jawline Become More Defined?
Chewing gum works the masseter muscles by your jaw, the main muscles responsible for chewing. Similar to working out other muscle groups in your body at the gym, regular engagement of the masseter muscle can lead to subtle improvements in your jawline definition over time.
While scientific evidence to support gum chewing as a long-term solution for enhanced jawline definition is quite sparse, many individuals report seeing personal improvements in the sharpness of their jaw and better facial aesthetics through regular gum chewing.
This has been noted particularly with mastic gum and other specialized gums, which provide greater chewing resistance than standard gum (discover the best chewing gum for jawline definition). The harder the gum, the more like adding extra “weight” to your strength workout.
Learn more here on how to make your jaw wider.
While gum can offer some benefits for your jawline, it isn’t without drawbacks. Excessive chewing can lead to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) issues, causing pain and jaw fatigue. (1)
A better, safer method that is more suitable for long-term improvements in jaw definition is mouth taping, which encourages proper breathing, tongue positioning, and muscle engagement during sleep, helping to tone the face more effectively over time.
The benefits of mouth taping for sleep and overall wellness are also incredible.
3 Benefits of Chewing Gum for Your Jawline
While chewing gum is often suggested as a way to tone your jaw, the change is often subtle and can take quite some time before you see results. However, here are the benefits you might see with consistent gum chewing:
Benefit 1: Strengthens the masseter muscle
The masseter muscle is one of the strongest muscles in the human body and is heavily engaged when you chew gum.
Regular gum chewing, especially with harder gums like mastic gum, provides a workout for this muscle, which extends from the top of your cheeks to your jawline. This can result in a more toned appearance in the lower part of your face over time.
To see significant changes, you need to chew regularly and most likely pair this with other jawline-enhancing methods such as mouth taping, proper tongue posture, and facial exercises.
Learn more about some of these facial exercises in our article on how to get better cheekbones naturally.
Benefit 2: Improves jaw muscle endurance and oral health
Chewing gum helps build jaw muscle endurance. By continuously engaging the muscles responsible for chewing, particularly the masseter, you improve their stamina.
This can lead to better jaw function overall, with potential aesthetic improvements in muscle tone around this area.
Additionally, chewing sugar-free gum has added benefits for oral health, since it can improve the flow of healthy saliva, helping to reduce the risk of cavities while working out your jaw! (2)
Benefit 3: Stimulates jawline definition
The repetitive motion of chewing gum stimulates the muscles surrounding your jawline, gradually toning and widening them.
This can help improve the appearance of a sagging or undefined jawline, especially when combined with other lifestyle habits like facial exercises and a healthy diet for excess fat loss.
For a more holistic approach to jawline definition, you may want to combine gum chewing with mouth taping during sleep and mewing, a popular technique that helps you focus on using correct tongue posture throughout the day to strengthen the muscles in your jaw and neck area.
Risks to Your Jaw from Chewing Gum
While gum chewing has some benefits, overusing it can cause more harm than good. Let’s explore the potential risks of chewing gum for extended periods when trying to achieve a more defined jawline.
Risk 1: TMJ disorders
Excessive gum chewing can place too much strain on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the hinge-like joint that connects your jaw to your skull. Overworking this joint can lead to TMJ disorders. (1)
This can result in pain, jaw clicking, or even lockjaw - ouch! These symptoms can worsen over time if left untreated, potentially leading to chronic discomfort around the jaw area and even headaches.
To avoid TMJ issues, it’s important to limit gum chewing to shorter durations (15-20 minutes at a time) and take frequent breaks to let your jaw get some rest.
For more on jaw pain, check out our article on waking up with jaw pain.
Risk 2: Tooth decay
Chewing gum with sugar should be avoided at all costs! Sugar-packed gums might taste good, but they’ll significantly increase your risk of cavities and gum disease. (3)
Sugar-free gum, on the other hand, can help to support saliva production, which is essential for neutralizing acids and washing away food particles.
Try to opt for chewing gum that contains xylitol, a natural sweetener that’s been proven to support dental health and the oral microbiome.
Risk 3: Jaw muscle imbalance
Another risk of chewing gum is developing an imbalance in your jaw muscles. If you tend to chew more on one side than the other, you may notice uneven muscle development over time.
This imbalance can lead to one side of your face appearing more defined than the other, creating an asymmetrical look.
To avoid this, it’s best that you always alternate sides regularly when chewing gum, and incorporate other jawline-enhancing exercises to maintain muscle balance!
Alternative Methods to Improving Jawline Definition
Chewing gum isn’t the only way to define your jawline. Here are some safer and more effective alternatives to help you achieve the sculpted, sharper look you’re after.
1. Mouth taping
Mouth taping is an amazing technique that can not only support better jaw definition but also improve your sleep quality, cardiovascular wellness, dental health, and overall vitality.(4) (5) (6) (7)
When you tape your mouth shut at night, it ensures you breathe through your nose, eliminating mouth breathing, a common contributor to sagging facial muscles and a receding chin (as well as poor sleep, dry mouth, and higher blood pressure).
Over time, this can lead to a more defined jawline, by improving the engagement of your facial muscles and the position of your tongue. To learn more about mouth taping and your jawline, check out Mouth Tape Results: Face Shape Before and After
For the best results, it’s essential to choose a high-quality product such as Dream Recovery, which is made from luxuriously soft organic bamboo silk and hypoallergenic adhesive that is gentle on skin yet strong enough to stay on all night. You can also choose from multiple variations to support your unique preferences!
3. Diet and exercise
A healthy diet combined with consistent exercise is one of the best ways to enhance your jawline.
That’s because it helps to reduce overall body fat, including in your face and around your neck area, which can give your jawline a more sculpted appearance.
Regular cardio can help with this fat loss, while a balanced diet containing at least 30 grams of protein with each meal can support the growth and maintenance of your masseter muscles.
4. Kybella
Kybella is an injectable treatment that targets and dissolves fat cells. If the procedure is done around your cheek and chin area, this can result in a more chiseled, defined jawline. This type of procedure is especially effective if you have a double chin.
Kybella results can last quite a long time, with visible changes typically lasting between 6 to 12 months. However, there are some risky potential side effects such as nerve injury and it can be quite pricy when compared to other alternatives like mouth taping and lifestyle changes.
5. Facial exercises
Facial exercises like chin tucks, jaw clenches, and “fish face” workouts are designed to target the muscles around your jaw and neck. There are even special devices like Jawzrsize, which you bite down on to work out your jaw.
By consistently practicing these types of exercises, you can tone the muscles in the lower portion of your face, like the masseter muscle, to gradually create a wider, more defined jawline.
Pairing facial exercises with a healthy diet and regular cardiovascular activity can help to enhance these results since losing total body fat will reveal the more defined angles of your jawline.
Final Thoughts
While chewing gum can provide some benefits for jawline definition by working the masseter muscles, it’s important to be mindful of the potential drawbacks like TMJ disorders and muscle imbalance.
Gum chewing might offer subtle improvements over time, but for more significant and long-lasting results, it’s best to combine this habit with healthier alternatives such as mouth taping, facial exercises, and a balanced diet.
References:
- Tabrizi, R., Karagah, T., Aliabadi, E., & Hoseini, S. A. (2014). Does gum chewing increase the prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in individuals with gum chewing habits?. The Journal of craniofacial surgery, 25(5), 1818–1821. https://doi.org/10.1097/SCS.0000000000000993
- Tiwari M. (2011). Science behind human saliva. Journal of natural science, biology, and medicine, 2(1), 53–58. https://doi.org/10.4103/0976-9668.82322
- Nayak, P. A., Nayak, U. A., & Khandelwal, V. (2014). The effect of xylitol on dental caries and oral flora. Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dentistry, 6, 89–94. https://doi.org/10.2147/CCIDE.S55761
- Watso, J. C., Cuba, J. N., Boutwell, S. L., Moss, J. E., Bowerfind, A. K., Fernandez, I. M., Cassette, J. M., May, A. M., & Kirk, K. F. (2023). Acute nasal breathing lowers diastolic blood pressure and increases parasympathetic contributions to heart rate variability in young adults. American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology, 325(6), R797–R808. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00148.2023
- Allen, Ruth. (2015) The health benefits of nose breathing. Nursing in general practice.
- Lee, Y. C., Lu, C. T., Cheng, W. N., & Li, H. Y. (2022). The Impact of Mouth-Taping in Mouth-Breathers with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Preliminary Study. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 10(9), 1755. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10091755
- Tamkin J. (2020). Impact of airway dysfunction on dental health. Bioinformation, 16(1), 26–29. https://doi.org/10.6026/97320630016026