Gum brands and influencers tell teens that chewing hard gum will chisel their jawline

If you're a teenager on social media, chances are your algorithm is filled with posts advertising various beauty products that promise to diminish the appearance of aging, from serums and moisturizers to facial tools like jade rollers and Gua Shas designed to potentially diminish the appearance of aging. wrinkles, reduce double chin or even pull out your jawlines. But as young women become interested in skincare and makeup, different brands are capturing teens' attention in a different way: facial and fitness erasers.

The cup recently reported that several gum brands market their products as “jawline-defining” gum. Brands like Rockjaw, Jawliner and Stronger Gum claim their tough-chew gum is similar to a facial workout and can reshape the customer's jawline, as well as “tone and tighten more than 57 facial and neck muscles, anytime and everywhere.”

Rockjaw, created in 2020, was the first mastic-based chewing gum on the market. The brand claims that regular commercial gums are too soft to activate the masseter muscles, i.e. the main muscles that bring the teeth together when chewing. But since “putty is 10 times harder than regular chewing gum, results can be 10 times faster and 10 times better than regular chewing gum,” the site says.

Dr. Mike Mew, the orthodontist who developed Jawliner gum, was accused of medical misconduct by a patient and has since been stripped of his dental license, Fast business reports.

Since then, social networks have been working with these products. On TikTok, male models and influencers can be seen advertising these gummies as a way to achieve a chiseled jawline. It appears to be part of current facial fitness trends, such as “mewing” and “looksmaxxing”, which target young boys who want to achieve a more masculine appearance.

As brands continue to cash in on this trend, health professionals are warning against chewing these hard gums. Celebrity cosmetic dermatologist Paul Jarrod Frank, MD, explained to The cup that these products are “marketed on the hypothetical promise that chewing a piece of hard gum will develop the masseter muscles.” But this may be unnecessary if the bone structure does not already exist. Additionally, if a teenager develops overgrown masseter muscles, Frank said, they might end up with a broader, squarer-shaped face, not a chiseled jawline.

Frank also said that boys' more defined jawlines can develop naturally as they age. “Younger people tend to have more natural fat volume on their faces,” he said. The cup. “For lean, fit men, as they age into their 20s and 30s, they will likely naturally see more definition.”

The American Dental Association also disagrees with hard-to-chew gum. “The intensity of regularly chewing gum for long periods of time, especially if it is dense or has a thick consistency, can lead to symptoms such as jaw pain, headaches and put you at risk of temporomandibular disorders”, according to the American Dental Association. said Fast business. “If you have temporomandibular disorder, avoid chewing gum of any kind. Less is better to reduce stress on your mouth.”

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