Recently there’s been a spate of videos circulating on TikTok that show young men chewing ‘extra hard’ gum purportedly to give themselves a chiseled jawline. In the process, these videos promote lines that type of gum from various brands – most of which claim to help sculpt the jawline by exercising and toning muscles around the jaw.

Although this may sound somewhat plausible, you would be right to wonder whether or not it is really true or if it’s just yet another social media fitness fad that is doomed to failure. On top of that the far more important question is whether or not it is actually safe.

Does it Work?

If you want to know whether or not chewing ‘extra hard’ gum is effective at helping you obtain a chiseled jawline, unfortunately the short answer to that is: ‘Probably not’.

The fact of the matter is that there is no actual evidence backing the claims that chewing ‘extra hard’ gum will sculpt your jawline and make it look chiseled. In fact if anything the evidence available suggests that it could be harmful to your health instead – but we’ll get to that later.

The claim that chewing hard gum will help you to work out your masseter muscles (i.e. muscles that run from the cheekbone to lower jawbone) is dubious at best. For starters those muscles may affect the shape of your cheek, but will have limited impact on your jawline.

Additionally in order for it to have any effect at all you’d have to chew ‘extra hard’ gum for eight or more hours each and every day over the course of several years before you see results. This is part of what is likely to hurt you more than it helps.

To be perfectly honest, acquiring more definition on your jawline is more complicated than you might think. It is influenced by several factors – not the least of which being facial fat deposits that may stand in your way no matter how much you chew.

Long story short: Chewing ‘extra hard’ gum is not very effective, and could be a significant health risk instead.

Is it Safe?

As mentioned previously, the available evidence suggests that chewing ‘extra hard’ gum could be harmful to your health. This is backed up by numerous dentists, orthodontists, and other professional health providers.

The reason why chewing ‘extra hard’ gum can be a health risk is mostly due to the stress that it can put on your jaw joint and muscles when chewing for long periods of time. Typically this can cause pain, and could lead to temporomandibular disorders – or exacerbate any existing issues.

People who have had dental work done including fillings should be particularly careful as it could affect them. In some cases ‘extra hard’ gum has been known to put excessive pressure on teeth resulting in them chipping or even cracking – especially if there were cavities present that already weakened them.

For children, the constant chewing and stress could even lead to developmental issues involving their jaw.

Because of these risks, it is recommended that you talk to a St Albans dentist or one near where you live before chewing any type of ‘extra hard’ gum. Any such products should be only used with the active supervision of a doctor or dentist.

So What Does Work?

Seeing as ‘extra hard’ gum isn’t really that effective and could be a health risk, you’re probably wondering, “What does work?”

And it may surprise you but there are actually several things that you can do to improve your jawline’s definition and make it look more chiseled:

Weight loss can help to reduce facial fat deposits and improve your jawline’s definition. Try to work out regularly and eat a healthy and balanced diet.
Jaw and face exercises such as neck crunches, vowel exercises, collarbone backups, and chin ups can work out muscles in your neck, cheek and jaw. These exercises are far safer than chewing ‘extra hard’ gum and will produce better results.
Proper hydration is key to ensure that your skin maintains its elasticity and stays taut. By minimizing sagging you can keep your jawline definition for longer.
Haircuts and facial hair shaping won’t directly improve your jawline but can affect its appearance by framing it in a way that makes it look stronger.

Just remember that while these steps can help you gain a chiseled jawline it is typically a slow and gradual process. Unfortunately there are no shortcuts – not if you want a successful yet healthy approach.

Before you proceed however, talk to your dentist or orthodontist about it. Odds are they’ll be able to provide specific recommendations regarding what you should or should not be doing and may even have some other ideas that you can try.