There is yet another TikTok trend that dental professionals are warning their patients about ... this one primarily among Gen Z men. It involves chewing extra hard gum, and those who are participating in and promoting the trend are doing so for what they hope is a more masculine jawline. They claim that chewing the gum will to lead to more developed masseter muscles, giving the appearance of a chiseled jawline.
The TikTok videos often show before-and-after results from the young men. After about one week of chewing the gum, for sometimes as long as an hour a day, they display their bulging jawlines.
Though this trend has been around for approximately three years, and has caught the attention of dental professionals nationally, the TikTok influencers are lending to an accelearation of the trend. A recent New York Times article mentions some of the brands that are benefitting from this trend, promoting their products as "facial fitness" gums.
In an interview on CBS News, Dr. James Rugierro, Chair of Dentistry, Hackensack University Medical Center, said one of his and other dentists' primary concerns is temporamandibular joint (TMJ) issues developing from chewing this gum for too long and too often.
Dr. Dar Radfar, a dentist in Thousand Oaks, California, told The NYT that when any of his young patients complain of jaw pain, his "first question is whether they're chewing gum or doing related jaw exercises. They’re like, ‘Yeah, I want to strengthen my jawline,’ (He urges them to reconsider.)"
Dr. Rugierro said overall, he and his peers are seeing nominal results in their patients who are taking part in the hard gum trend, and most dentists feel that more research is needed. What he and other dentists sometimes see besides the TMJ issues are broken teeth, loose fillings, and even headaches in those chewing extra hard gum.
For your patients who insist they want to build a stronger jawline, Dr. Rugierro recommends general exercise, hydration, and a healthy diet to reduce fat tissues (and this involves the face). All patients should discuss options with their dentist and PCP in order to promote change in a healthy manner.
As with all trends, dental pros are advised to try to stay in the loop with the latest so they can discuss the pros and cons with their patients.
