Jaw Anatomy

Anatomy: Jaw

Jaw is an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, and forms the framework our mouth and holds our teeth

Our   jaw is separated into 2 separate structures. The upper and lower jaw

Our lower jaw is referred to as the mandible and is the strongest and largest bone of the face. And our upper jaw is referred to as the maxilla

There is a joint called the temperomandibular joint (TMJ) that allows to open and close our mouths

Our jaws are most known for breaking down food

Throughout evolution our jaws have actually gotten smaller while our brains have gotten larger

This relates to an interesting theory that our molar teeth are usually removed because of this. This is because we have same amount of teeth since the beginning of evolution but smaller jaws to support them.

Experience the feeling of a badly bruised/ almost broken jaw in grade 6 after a fight and know the how dependant we are on a   our jaw for basic things like eating and communicating.

The anatomy of the jaw relates to speech because speech is a vocalized form of communication which is dependant on the jaw.

A locked jaw will not allow us to communicate with each other because our jaw is in control our mouths.

Our jaw has to move in different directions to accommodate actions of the tongue. For example, saying the letter “ L” and than try saying the letter “P”.   Each requires a different movement from our jaw to create the sound.

The back of our jaw has a muscle and to keep a healthy and mobile jaw, it is recommended that people do jaw exercises to keep their jaw in good shape.


1st exercise – rotation of the jaw in a circular motion
2nd exercise – up jaw wide and slowly shut down










Bibliography


Proceedings of the Anatomical and Anthropological Society of the University of Aberdeen, 1905, and Journal of Anatomy and Physiology

The Mandible, In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved September 30, 2009, from...