Thumbpulling Technique
Intro
Thumbpulling is an exercise designed to create pressure on the upper jaw, helping to expand it and restore the proper space within the oral cavity. The upper jaw plays a crucial role in facial structure development, as it serves as the foundation for correct tongue posture in mewing, which facilitates the repositioning of facial bones naturally.
However, beginners often struggle with this process due to a narrow upper jaw, making it difficult for the tongue to fit properly. This can give the impression that the tongue is too large to rest comfortably, hindering progress in facial bone development. To address this issue, Thumbpulling serves as a complementary technique that can be incorporated into your daily routine to enhance and accelerate mewing results.
It is crucial to emphasize that this exercise is not a substitute for proper tongue posture. Some may argue otherwise, but realistically, you cannot spend the entire day with your finger inside your mouth, it simply wouldn’t be practical. On the other hand, the tongue can maintain its position even during sleep.
Thus, Thumbpulling is merely a supportive exercise designed to ease the adaptation process and accelerate the effects of mewing. So, don’t misunderstand—mewing alone can still yield the desired results, but it requires more time and patience.
Now, without further delay, let’s get started
Table of content
1. What is THUMBPULLING
Thumbpulling simply is an exircice involves applying pressure with the thumb on six specific areas of the upper jaw—three points on each side. This continuous pressure helps expand the upper jaw space and, with consistency, promotes both upward and forward growth of the maxilla.
 |
By applying this pressure, the exercise aids in widening and aligning the upper jaw ( Maxilla ) , supporting the natural development of facial structure. When combined with mewing, it enhances maxillary repositioning, leading over time to a more balanced and well-defined facial appearance.
2. How to Thumbpulling
To Perform the Thumbpulling Exercise Correctly
First, make sure your hands are clean, as you will be using your thumbs during the exercise.
1. Adopt the chin tuck position: Stand against a wall and retract your chin as much as possible.
2. Open your mouth: Keep your jaw relaxed without straining.
3. Place your thumbs on the first two points: Behind the upper incisors (at the black dots in the image).
 |
4. Push upward and outward: Without touching your teeth at all—the pressure should be applied only to the upper jaw, as if you are trying to open it with your thumbs.
It is recommended to perform this exercise for one minute per session. Then, move to the next position (blue dots in the image), followed by the third position (red dots). Count to 60 seconds in each position while maintaining consistent and moderate pressure without straining the jaw
Do not apply excessive force. A moderate and consistent pressure is enough to achieve the desired effect.
3. Thumbpulling Exercise for a Narrow Jaw
For a Narrow Jaw:
If your jaw is narrow and you cannot use both thumbs together due to a lack of space, you can modify the exercise as follows:
Use your thumbs in different positions: If the jaw is very narrow and you can't place both thumbs in the same position, focus on training one side at a time. However, both thumbs will still be used, but in different positions as follows:
Start with the front part of the jaw and train the right front side first, then move to the left side. When focusing on the right front side, use the left thumb in the back left position (left red dot) next to the last molar. Then, place the right thumb on the front right position (right black dot) and apply pressure outward and upward on the jaw. Only the front part of the jaw should experience pressure, while the back part remains stable, helping to balance the jaw and train the front part. After 60 seconds, switch places: the thumb that was on the front moves to the back, and the thumb that was on the back moves to the front. This means you will place the right thumb on the back right side and the left thumb on the front left side to train the left side.
Place your thumb on the black dot in the back of the jaw (on the left side, for example).
Stabilize the jaw: Keep the thumb in the back position on the left side to help stabilize the jaw.
Use the other thumb for the front part: Use the other thumb in the front part of the jaw (on the right side, for example) to perform the thumbpulling exercise.
By using this method, you can achieve the desired pressure on the upper jaw, even with a narrow jaw.
Follow the same method for the second position in the middle, ensuring that stabilizing the back part is essential before performing the exercise on any area.
4. How Thumbpulling Works to Expand and Create Space in the Jaw for Facial Structure Enhancement
We’ve explained how to perform the thumbpulling exercise to expand and create space in the jaw, which contributes to improving facial structure. However, it's important to understand how and why this works, and the science behind it.
Humans are born with well-formed and balanced facial bone structure. But how does this structure become compromised, and how can it be corrected? Are bones like clay that can be manipulated and reshaped? Well, not exactly, but it's somewhat close. This happens because of the cranial sutures, the gaps between different bone sections of the skull and face.
These sutures, who known as cranial sutures, allow for some flexibility and movement in the bones during development. You can learn more about these sutures in "Image B" in this article.
Similarly, in the jaw, there are sutures known as maxillary sutures found at the roof of the upper jaw.
5. How Bones Grow Through Sutures
Bones grow through cranial sutures, which appear as gaps between different bone structures. The upper jaw (maxilla) is composed of multiple bones connected by sutures, such as the median palatal suture, visible in the image, and the zygomatic suture, which connects to the cheekbones, among others.
During childhood, these sutures remain flexible, allowing the bones to expand naturally. Like all bones in the body, the maxilla grows over time, but it requires proper stimulation. As a child, the tongue is small, just like all other organs, and it fits perfectly within the upper jaw. When the tongue grows and maintains the correct posture without issues, it stimulates the expansion of the upper jaw. Thanks to the presence of sutures, the jaw adapts by creating more space to accommodate the growing tongue. This process is possible
because bones are constantly renewing and remodeling through ossification.
When a person has issues such as mouth breathing, the tongue does not support the expansion of the upper jaw as it should, causing it to narrow. Bad habits like thumb sucking, improper tongue posture, prolonged use of bottles or pacifiers, and insufficient chewing due to soft foods all contribute to this problem. Without proper stimulation, the upper jaw fails to expand, and as the body grows, the tongue increases in size, but the jaw remains narrow.
In childhood, the upper jaw is flexible and grows in response to mechanical forces, especially the pressure exerted by the tongue on the palate during swallowing, breathing, and chewing. When these forces are absent due to bad habits, the natural stimulus for jaw growth disappears, preventing the median palatal suture from expanding properly.
Without the right pressure, the upper palate fails to widen, leading to a narrow and high-arched palate. While other facial structures continue to grow, the upper jaw remains small, creating dental crowding and nasal breathing difficulties.
the tongue grows, it becomes too large for the available space, forcing it to push downward or forward incorrectly. Mouth breathing worsens the problem, as the tongue remains low in the mouth instead of resting against the palate.
This misplaced tongue posture increases pressure on the lower jaw, causing it to recede, resulting in a long face, a narrow upper jaw, and a retruded lower jaw. Additionally, poor nasal and airway development occurs, as the upper palate forms part of the nasal floor. If it does not expand, the nasal airway remains narrow, making nasal breathing more difficult.
This leads to a vicious cycle where mouth breathing continues, further worsening the issue over time
Post a Comment