Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Your skull has joints. They're called sutures, and they exist nowhere else in the body.
Almost every joint you have is there to permit movement. So what are these for?
The textbook answer is that they let the head grow and then progressively fuse shut. Two findings have complicated that.
In 2015, researchers showed the suture is a stem cell niche, skeletal stem cells living in the joint space, driving growth and repairing bone after injury. And in 2023, CT imaging of adults ranging up to over a hundred years old found that most major sutures never fully close at all.
Then there's the shape. The suture above your ear isn't jagged like the others. It's bevelled, one bone overlapping the next, like a roof tile. That's a strange thing to build if nothing is ever meant to move.
Cranial osteopaths and craniosacral therapists have argued for over a century that this particular joint stays mobile for life. That remains contested, and I'm not asking anyone to take it on faith. But the anatomy is worth looking at properly, and the evidence has been moving.
This is part of a series going bone by bone through the face. Subscribe if you want the rest.
Sources
Zhao et al., The suture provides a niche for mesenchymal stem cells of craniofacial bones, Nature Cell Biology (2015)
Maruyama et al., Stem cells of the suture mesenchyme in craniofacial bone development, repair and regeneration, Nature Communications
Gaining Closure: Do Cranial Sutures Fuse at Reported Age Ranges?, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open (2023)
Craniofacial sutures: signalling centres integrating mechanosensation, cell signalling and cell differentiation
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⚠️ DISCLAIMER ⚠️
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
NOT MEDICAL OR DENTAL ADVICE
The content here is provided for educational, informational, and discussion purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical, dental, orthodontic, jaw, airway, or other health condition.
Mike Mew does not provide medical, dental, orthodontic, or professional healthcare advice. Past professional qualifications or opinions discussed on this channel do not constitute current licensure, authorization, or intent to practice medicine, dentistry, or orthodontics.
Nothing shown or discussed should be interpreted as a professional consultation, diagnosis, treatment recommendation, or substitute for advice from a qualified and appropriately licensed healthcare provider.
Do not start, stop, or change any treatment, exercise, appliance use, orthodontic care, dental care, or medical routine without first consulting a licensed professional who can evaluate your individual circumstances.
Always seek the guidance of a qualified doctor, dentist, orthodontist, or other licensed healthcare provider with any questions regarding your health, teeth, jaws, breathing, or medical condition. Reliance on any information provided in this video is solely at your own risk.
#mewing #orthotropics #oralposture #facialdevelopment #jawline #breathing
Your skull has joints. They're called sutures, and they exist nowhere else in the body.
Almost every joint you have is there to permit movement. So what are these for?
The textbook answer is that they let the head grow and then progressively fuse shut. Two findings have complicated that.
In 2015, researchers showed the suture is a stem cell niche, skeletal stem cells living in the joint space, driving growth and repairing bone after injury. And in 2023, CT imaging of adults ranging up to over a hundred years old found that most major sutures never fully close at all.
Then there's the shape. The suture above your ear isn't jagged like the others. It's bevelled, one bone overlapping the next, like a roof tile. That's a strange thing to build if nothing is ever meant to move.
Cranial osteopaths and craniosacral therapists have argued for over a century that this particular joint stays mobile for life. That remains contested, and I'm not asking anyone to take it on faith. But the anatomy is worth looking at properly, and the evidence has been moving.
This is part of a series going bone by bone through the face. Subscribe if you want the rest.
Sources
Zhao et al., The suture provides a niche for mesenchymal stem cells of craniofacial bones, Nature Cell Biology (2015)
Maruyama et al., Stem cells of the suture mesenchyme in craniofacial bone development, repair and regeneration, Nature Communications
Gaining Closure: Do Cranial Sutures Fuse at Reported Age Ranges?, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open (2023)
Craniofacial sutures: signalling centres integrating mechanosensation, cell signalling and cell differentiation
🌐 Mike Mew
mikemew.com
Official partners and sponsors:
📲 Mewing App by Mike Mew
mewingapp.co
🤝 ONEJAW x Mike Mew hard chewing gum
Join the waitlist for early access:
onejaw.com/pages/waitlist-mike-mew-edition
🧏 Interested in collaborating ?
Complete this form:
https://forms.gle/GhFHgceDFzjzPtyY7
Socials ➡
•X ➡ / https://x.com/MewingByMikeMew
•Tiktok ➡ / tiktok.com/@mewingbymikemew
•Instagram ➡ / instagram.com/mewingbymikemew
•Reddit ➡ / reddit.com/r/orthotropics
•Facebook ➡ / facebook.com/orthotropics
•Patreon ➡ / patreon.com/orthotropics
⚠️ DISCLAIMER ⚠️
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
NOT MEDICAL OR DENTAL ADVICE
The content here is provided for educational, informational, and discussion purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical, dental, orthodontic, jaw, airway, or other health condition.
Mike Mew does not provide medical, dental, orthodontic, or professional healthcare advice. Past professional qualifications or opinions discussed on this channel do not constitute current licensure, authorization, or intent to practice medicine, dentistry, or orthodontics.
Nothing shown or discussed should be interpreted as a professional consultation, diagnosis, treatment recommendation, or substitute for advice from a qualified and appropriately licensed healthcare provider.
Do not start, stop, or change any treatment, exercise, appliance use, orthodontic care, dental care, or medical routine without first consulting a licensed professional who can evaluate your individual circumstances.
Always seek the guidance of a qualified doctor, dentist, orthodontist, or other licensed healthcare provider with any questions regarding your health, teeth, jaws, breathing, or medical condition. Reliance on any information provided in this video is solely at your own risk.
#mewing #orthotropics #oralposture #facialdevelopment #jawline #breathing
