What muscles are involved in mastication?

What muscles are involved in mastication?

The muscles of mastication are a group of muscles that consist of the temporalis, masseter, medial pterygoid and lateral pterygoid muscles. The temporalis muscle is situated in the temporal fossa, the masseter muscle in the cheek area, while the medial and lateral pterygoids lie in the infratemporal fossa.

Which muscle of the head is involved in mastication?

masseter
masseter: The large muscle which raises the lower jaw, and assists in mastication.

Are neck muscles involved in chewing?

The muscles of mastication also function to approximate (bring together or close) the teeth. The superficial muscle of the neck, the platysma muscle, also assists with depression of the mandible against resistance.

Which muscles help in chewing food?

Mastication Muscles Four major muscles are the ones responsible for mastication (chewing): the masseter, temporalis, medial pterygoid, and lateral pterygoid muscles move your jaw up and down, assisting in chewing, grinding, and speaking.

Which muscles protract mandible?

The large masseter and temporalis are powerful elevators of the mandible (Figure 3), assisted by the pterygoid medialis. The pterygoid lateralis, assisted by the digastric (discussed in Section Muscles of the Neck), opens the mouth by depressing and protracting the mandible.

Is buccinator a muscle of mastication?

[1] Couper and Myot coined the term buccinator in the year 1694. [2] This muscle is sometimes referred to as an accessory muscle of mastication due to its role in compressing the cheeks inwards against molars, thus, aiding in chewing and swallowing.

How many muscles are around the mouth?

Six muscles come together at the modiolus: (1) the zygomaticus major, (2) the orbicularis oris (both the superior and inferior muscles), (3) the levator anguli oris, (4) the risorius, (5) the buccinator and (6) the depressor anguli oris.

What are the movements involved when chewing food?

chewing, also called mastication, up-and-down and side-to-side movements of the lower jaw that assist in reducing particles of solid food, making them more easily swallowed; teeth usually act as the grinding and biting surface.

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