Why I don't call this 'forward growth'
I instead call it 'inflating the skull', which to me is a far more accurate reflection of what is actually going on.
Youtube video
Folks from the Mewing and Orthotropics world love to ask me if Reviv promotes ‘forward growth’.
They love to think about how to grow their maxilla.
And if you’re a keen observer of my content… i never use this term.
But why is that? Is it that other methods achieve this holy grail of forward growth and Reviv does not?
Hahahahahaha no.
Let me explain.
What do folks mean by forward growth?
In the orthodontic and aesthetic communities, "forward growth" refers to the development of a more horizontal facial profile, as opposed to the downward-growing, long and narrow face that's often associated with modern health issues.
Proponents focus heavily on the maxilla (upper jaw) bone, claiming it needs to grow forward for optimal facial development.
However, viewing it like this is misleading and outright wrong in my view.
While some growth might occur in children, the dramatic changes seen in adults who improve their facial structure aren't from actual bone growth at all.
Where does this notion of forward growth come from?
The concept gained prominence through the work of John and Mike Mew and their orthotropics approach.
The Mewing community has since elevated "forward growth" to an almost mythical status, particularly in online aesthetic circles.
Social media is filled with before-and-after photos purporting to show improved profiles through various "forward growth" techniques.
In reality i’d say 95% of the ones i have seen are some combination of differences in camera angle, light and different posturing of the neck.
The other 5% are achieving true results, but i’d venture to guess that this set is probably using a Myobrace or a flat plane splint along with their Mewing.
I think it is the wrong way to think about the problem
The human skull consists of 22 bones (according to Chatgpt) connected by soft tissue sutures, allowing for movement and adjustment.
When someone has poor facial development, it's more likely that these bones are deranged and are positioned asymmetrically rather than undergrown. It is just a far more logical interpretation.
Have you seen a person with a highly symmetric face with no profile?
No, I can tell you that it doesn't exist. Because having no profile means that the cranial bones are deranged to some extent.
But if the bones had simply not grown to the same extent than you would hypothetically see some beautiful symmetric faces on folks with no side profile. Something i don’t think i’ve seen once in the past decade.
Similarly, people with great profiles invariably have good facial symmetry. They're two sides of the same coin because they both reflect the proper positioning of cranial bones.
As I’m improving the last few years my skull sort of ‘inflates’ and also gets more symmetric. As it has each time I improved in the past decade.
Whereas each time i got worse it was as if I’d taken the air out of my skull and it got more assymetric. Because the cranial bones had deranged to some extent.
I always talk about 'inflating the skull'
Instead of "forward growth," I prefer to think about inflating the skull like a balloon.
As the soft tissue expands, the cranial bones naturally move back into their correct positions, creating a wider, more angular appearance with better volume.
Also the profile improves and is more horizontal.
This process results in the same aesthetic improvements that "forward growth" advocates seek, but it better describes the actual mechanism of change.
The balloon analogy helps explain why these changes affect the entire skull structure, not just the forward projection of the maxilla.
And in reality it is impossible to just ‘grow’ or move the maxilla forward. Just play with a model of the skull like this one above, which is similar to one i’ve owned since 2017.
You’re not going to move or grow the maxilla by itself. The entire skull needs to change because the maxilla fits into it like a puzzle piece.
Does some other method achieve “forward growth” faster than Reviv?
I hear about Mewing.world promoting facepulling and intraoral exercises.
I did the same for quite awhile and I'm pretty sure I know what they are doing. In 2016-17 I used to spend hours with my thumbs pushing into my upper palate and noticing that it would loosen things up. Some of this is even documented in the old Starecta Facebook community.
It does change the soft tissue that i talk about a bit, but not faster than simply wearing a rubber mouthguard in my experience. Actually stretches like that work very well in combination with an appliance like the Reviv One as I discuss here:
But are these exercises doing something beyond stretching the soft tissue that i talk about? For example is it moving bones directly?
No.
Why? Because the soft tissue will bring the bone right back to where it was.
Focusing on only moving bones never works
It is why things like chiropractors, osteopaths, and other physiotherapy methods are ineffective against this biomechanical collapse. They focus on bones.
And yes you can move bones. But the soft tissue pulls it right back.
Everything operates via this soft tissue based on my experience and years of experiments. And when folks tell me they don’t agree or believe me… I tell them to start testing using a tracking splint as i did for years.
Don’t tell me your ‘theory’ that intraoral pulling works faster. Show me that it is improving the curve of spee faster on a tracking splint.
Except they haven’t. Because they don’t even understand the importance of the curve of spee and the fact that improving ‘forward growth’ is going to be a direct function of improving it.
You'll also hear about other ways of promoting forward growth like the ALF appliance. I used one on and off for years.
The ALF in and of itself does absolutely nothing in my view except move teeth. When people get results with an ALF it is typically because the dentist also put a flat plane splint or flat composite 'turbos' on the person's lower teeth.
Closing thoughts
The term "forward growth" oversimplifies a complex process of structural restoration.
They like to believe that the maxilla ‘grows’ or perhaps moves forward.
But play with a model of a skull for a few hours and try to visualize that happening and i think you’ll conclude the same as me. It’s impossible.
The entire skull needs to expand outwards. Which it does not by ‘growing’ but rather by coming back into symmetry.
The skull ‘inflates’ meaning that the bones remain the same size, but simply spaced out better and are now in the correct position.
And this mechanism absolutely has to happen by stretching the soft tissue I talk about and improving the curve of spee.
Reversing the ‘biomechanical collapse’ that I talk about is the EXACT SAME THING as what these folks talking about ‘forward growth’ are referring to.
And it ALWAYS impacts the entire skeleton. Not just the maxilla. Not just the skull.
Try to prove me wrong with a single concrete example where that is not the case. You will not. I guarantee it.
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After seeing your model skull, I'm interested in getting one for myself to better understand the cranial structure! Are you basically saying that even though orthodontic and dental extraction work messed up my TMJ and occlusion, my cranial bones are just collapsed, but not underdeveloped? Does that mean the space between the sutures can expand and contract?
very well said. The skull must expand, it is quite logical and obvious.