A narrow palate is where the roof of your mouth is too narrow. More specifically, the side of your gums are too close together to allow your tongue to fit correctly.
So can you mew even with a narrow palate? Let’s dive deeper!
Mewing will still be effective even with a small palate and other misalignments of the teeth.
What Is A Narrow Palate?
Having a narrow palate can be a difficult experience. It can lead to a range of health issues that can cause discomfort and distress. A narrow palate occurs when the roof of the mouth is too small, reducing the space available for the tongue and other structures. It can also cause problems with breathing, eating, and speaking.
People with a narrow palate often find it difficult to chew and swallow food, and may experience pain when eating. They may also have difficulty breathing or speaking clearly.
The condition can also lead to sleep apnea, which can cause disrupted sleep and decreased quality of life. In addition, people with a narrow palate may be more prone to infection in the mouth and throat.
What causes a narrow palate?
Mouth breathing: Mouth breathing can cause a narrowing of the upper jaw and palate. This is because the air being breathed in through the mouth prevents the normal development of the upper jaw and palate, leading to a narrow palate. This can cause dental issues, such as malocclusion and overcrowding, as well as a higher risk of sleep apnea.
Improper Posture: This can cause the palate to be narrower than normal, as the maxilla and mandible are unable to support the full range of motion. To test this, clench your teeth, then stand up straight and compare it to having a forward neck and overall improper posture. You’ll find that it is much more difficult to keep the jaw in a comfortable position when having poor sture.
Soft processed diets: Eating habits have changed with modern lifestyle changes, resulting in many of us opting for diet plans filled with softer, processed foods due to their convenience. Studies have shown that this dietary hardness can affect the maxilla; in a study conducted on rats, it was found that those fed a soft liquid diet had smaller palates compared to those on a hard diet (Yamamoto et al., 1996).
Our ancestors who were hunter-gatherers from centuries past, did not require braces, and had a diet which required more chewing, leading to greater pressure and proper tongue posture, thereby creating a larger mandible and wider palate.
Can You Mew With A Narrow Palate?
Narrow palates have been a worry for beginner mewers for all of it’s existence.
Rest assured, mewing is still very effective even with a narrow palate and other malocclusions.
If your concern is your tongue pushing up against your teeth. Read this:
The concern stems from the fact that putting pressure on your back teeth with your tongue can cause them to tip forward, this is because a narrow palate brings your teeth close/or against your tongue when you’re mewing.
That’s why it’s highly advised to make sure that you’re teeth isn’t being pushed up against. Having a narrow palate causes this to be unavoidable.
However, a narrow palate doesn’t mean that force is actively being applied to the side of the teeth. While this may happen at a very small level, it isn’t enough to change any of your teeth. In order to avoid teeth malformities from mewing, it’s important to focus on adding pressure to the top of the mouth and side of the gums instead of the teeth. This will allow for palatal expansion without harming the teeth’s structure.
But, our facial structures are all diverse, and your teeth may end up tipping slightly.
It’s important to realize that palatal expansion from mewing is from the upwards and forward pressure put against the upper palate, not from pushing directly against the teeth.
You’ll always be able to somewhat fit your tongue up against your palate unless it’s extremely narrow.
If your concern isn’t your teeth, and you’re worried about not being able to fit your tongue. Read this:
It wouldn’t make sense for mewing to be a solution to a narrow palate if you weren’t able to mew with a narrow palate.
Unless you have a severe malocclusion that affects the palate’s width, it’s not possible for your palate to be too narrow for your tongue to go up against the roof of your mouth.
To reference what I said earlier, this will inadvertently cause your tongue to push up against your molars.
While it can be difficult to mew with a narrow palate, avoiding mewing completely because of this will only cause your palate to become narrower and your facial structure to deteriorate. Mewing becomes natural after a few weeks so it’s important to push through the pain and make mewing a life-time habit.
How To Mew With A Narrow Palate
Mewing isn’t very different with and without a narrow palate. However, there are things that you need to keep in mind.
Firstly, do not push on your teeth. Pushing your teeth out will cause your teeth to tip outwards, subsequently causing other malocclusions. Mewing can bring wonderful benefits but can also be harmful when done incorrectly.
Secondly, make sure that you can breathe. There is some misinformation online that instructs you to push your tongue back until you have difficulty breathing. This is incorrect and quite dangerous. It’s important that your mewing isn’t too forced but also isn’t too light. If you have trouble breathing, you should move your tongue forward instead of having it farther back. If your tongue causes you to snore when you’re awake, chances are that this unwanted habit will end up causing you to snore during your sleep.
Lastly, make sure that you’re mewing correctly. While this doesn’t just apply to narrow palates, a narrow palate can make mewing more difficult. If you want to learn how to do mewing correctly, read my guide to mewing.
Conclusion
While mewing with a narrow palate can be difficult. It certainly isn’t impossible. The palatal expansion can also be significantly more drastic due to the extra force being exerted onto the sides of the palate.
Mewing is one way to fix a narrow palate. However, it’s not a perfect substitute for palate expanders or surgery.