Mouth
Oral cavity, mucosa lined cavity.
Vestibule
The slit between the teeth and the cheecks/lips.
Oral Cavity Proper
The region of the mouth that lies internal to the teeth.
Labia
Lips. Keeps the food inside the mouth during chewing and is composed of a core of skeletal muscle covered by skin.
Labial Frenulum
A median fold that connects the internal aspect of each lip to the gum.
Palate
Forms the roof of the mouth and is separated into two parts.
Hard Palate
Anteriorly is bony hard, rigid surface against which the tongue forces food during chewing.
Soft Palate
The posterior, muscular, mobile flap that rises to close off the nasopharynx during swallowing.
Palatoglossal Arches
Anchor the soft palate to the tongue.
Palatopharyngeal Arches
Anchor the soft palate to the wall of the oropharynx.
Uvula
Closes off the nasopharynx and prevents food from entering the nasal cavity during swallowing.
Tongue
A muscle constructed of interlacing fascicles of skeletal muscle fibers. Functions to grip food, re-position it between teeth, mixes food with saliva forming food into a mass called bolus, moves food posteriorly to push bolus into the pharynx, helps with
Intrinsic Muscles
Confined within the tongue and not attached to bone. Change the shape of the tongue.
Extrinsic Muscles
Extend to the tongue from bones in the skull and hyoid bone and alter the position of the tongue.
Lingual Frenulum
Secures the tongue to the floor of the mouth and limits its posterior movements.
Filiform Papillae
Roughen the tongue so it can grasp and manipulate food during chewing; no taste buds and whitish appearance.
Fungiform Papillae
Scattered across the tongue and they contain taste buds and give a red color.
Vallate Papillae
10-12 large, at the back of the tongue in a V-shape; contain taste buds.