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About Dr. Mike Mew
Dr Mike Mew is a third-generation orthodontist with a lifelong interest in the causes and prevention of crooked teeth. Building on decades of family experience in orthodontics, his focus has always been simple but profound: Why are teeth crooked—and how might we prevent this?
Mike’s approach to orthodontics blends traditional clinical training with a modern, holistic perspective on health and growth. He completed his master’s degree in orthodontics at Aarhus University in Denmark—then regarded as one of the world’s top programmes for growth and development—where he was particularly influenced by the work of Professor Arne Björk, who identified the fundamental growth patterns of the facial complex.
He believes that early, gentle guidance of a child’s facial development can often reduce the need for complex treatment later in life, for both crooked teeth and other areas. His work explores the interplay between facial growth, breathing, posture, and overall wellbeing—seeking not only to align teeth but to support function and long-term health.
Dr. Mike Mew (left) with his father, Professor John Mew (right), pioneers of preventive orthodontics.
As an orthodontist, Mike has worked extensively with young patients and families, helping them understand how lifestyle, environment, and daily habits can shape growth. He draws inspiration from his father, Professor John Mew, whose pioneering book The Cause and Cure of Malocclusion examined why the facial complex of modern humans are not growing as they should. A few generations back, our ancestors almost universally had room in their jaws for 32 teeth, as is our birthright; today, most people are lucky to have space for just 28. This dramatic change in jaw size and shape may be linked to more than dental crowding—it is a change in the shape of the face as a whole and thus appears to be a factor in the observed growing prevalence of various breathing disorders, such as Sleep-disrupting breathing, OSA and its cascading effects on mental, emotional and physiological wellbeing of children.
Mike’s research and clinical curiosity led him to explore how facial posture and chewing strength affected the growth and development of the face. These ideas, when shared initially with patients online, unexpectedly got picked up by a few interested communities and gradually evolved into a global movement among young people — known as “mewing”—as people around the world began discussing and applying the principles of oral posture and facial health, and inevitably, facial appearance.
Meanwhile, Mike continues to advocate within the orthodontic community to engage in open, evidence-based inquiry, as well as to encourage collaboration with related medical disciplines (such as ENT specialists, paediatricians, neurologists).
Today, Mike’s work focuses on helping the next generation of clinicians and parents better understand the epigenetic factors that shape facial growth, how our genetic potential is expressed differently [a disease of civilisation] due to lifestyle factors, soft diet etc. His aim is to bridge the gap between conventional orthodontics and a new, preventive approach—one grounded in good science, compassion, and common sense. At the same time, he seeks to build bridges within the profession itself: working constructively to make conventional orthodontic methods faster, more effective, reducing the need for long term retention, and increasingly preventive by addressing the underlying causes of malocclusion.
Mike Mew in his office
Featured Cases:
Facial and Nasal changes