# Is there any way to get a nicer jaw? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 11, 2006, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-a-nicer-jaw/363961 "2006-07-11T02:57:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-a-nicer-jaw/363961/1 "2006-07-11T02:57:01Z")
I know the jaw is its own bone and that means it grows to as big as it’s going to get, but I know there are muscles that work the jaw. Can these muscles be worked on to make them more defined or toned, like the rest of one’s muscles? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-a-nicer-jaw/363961/2 "2006-07-11T03:02:07Z")
I tried that for a few months by chewing gum 8+ hours a day. It definitely seemed to work in the short-term and I had a very defined jawline that I can even see in photos from that time now. Of course many people find gum chewing unattractive so there might be a cancelling out effect if it is purely for aesthetics. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-a-nicer-jaw/363961/3 "2006-07-11T03:35:31Z")
A dental apparatus might change your bite and thus the set of your jaw. Do you have a strong overbite? ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-a-nicer-jaw/363961/4 "2006-07-11T04:45:23Z")
[QUOTE=awldune] A dental apparatus might change your bite and thus the set of your jaw. Do you have a strong overbite? [/QUOTE] I wouldn’t say it’s a strong overbite, but it is an overbite. ---
**Author:** ![gabriela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@gabriela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gabriela)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-a-nicer-jaw/363961/5 "2006-07-11T10:03:06Z")
Cosmetic surgery for a small jaw sometimes operates by actually changing the jaw. Breaking it in a sterile fashion under anesthesia, repairing it larger, like a house re-do. This may involve bone implants. Scary to think about and I don’t think you’re going that route, but it exists. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-a-nicer-jaw/363961/6 "2006-07-11T14:13:46Z")
You could do whay I do and swallow funny. I tend to push against my lower teeth with my tongue when I swallow and I’ve actually had bone growth in my jaw as an adult. However, I’ve also wound up getting orthodontics to correct the subsequent dental problems this caused. Ironically, I used to have an overbite from pushing againt my upper teeth until my childhood orthodontist suggested I coudl fix it by changing my swallowing behavior so that I thrust against my lower teeth.