The Secret Your Dentist Never Told You

What if the shape of your face, the health of your teeth, and the quality of your sleep all came down to one thing — the way you breathe?
This week, drawing on the landmark conversation between breathing experts Patrick McKeown and James Nestor, plus the pioneering work of the late Professor John Mew, we explore the surprising link between your breath and your body. You'll discover why nose breathing matters more than you think, the three simple habits that support a strong, healthy face, and one gentle practice to begin today.
Come back to your breath. Come back to your nose. Your body has been waiting.

Transcript

Hey guys, Welcome to this week's update. Here's something your dentist probably never told you. The way you breathe changes the shape of your face, Your jaw, And your teeth. This was one of the big themes when Patrick McKeown, My mentor, And James Nesta, Two of the leading voices in breathing science, Finally sat down together for the first time on the Oxygen Advantage podcast. The idea is simple. When we breathe through the mouth instead of the nose, It affects how the face and jaw grow. Over generations, Softer modern diets have made our jaws smaller, Leaving less room for our teeth, Which is a big part of why crowding, Crooked teeth and decay are so common today. Breathing and mouth are deeply connected. A lot of today's conversation on the podcast about tongue posture and facial growth traces back to one person, Professor John Mew, The British orthodontist who passed away in June 2025 at the age of 96. Mew spent his life arguing something radical for his field. That instead of simply straightening teeth with braces and extractions, We should guide the face to grow properly in the first place. He believed the foundation of a strong healthy face came down to three simple things. Breathing through your nose, Keeping your lips gently closed, Resting the tongue on the roof of your mouth. You may know this today as mewing, The practice named after him that has since gone viral. Mew believed that guiding natural growth, Especially in children, Could prevent crooked teeth, Improve facial structure, Open up the airway and support better health for life. His ideas raffled plenty of feathers in the Upper Dauntic world. And he was no stranger to controversy. But the core habit he taught lines up beautifully with everything McEwan and Nesta teach about breathing. Nose, Lips, Tongue. Here's the good news. You're not stuck with the patterns you have now. Even as adults, We can influence the shape of our face and retrain how we breathe. It feels strange at first, But it's worth it. Your focus this week. Just notice throughout the day Check in. Are my lips gently together? Is my tongue resting on the roof of my mouth? Am I breathing through my nose while awake or while I sleep? That simple awareness is the first step. Everyone in this space, From John Mu to Patrick McEwan. Points to the very same place. Come back to the breath and come back to the nose.