Maxilla
The maxillae (or maxillary bones) are a pair of symmetrical bones joined at the midline, which form the middle third of the face. Each maxilla forms the floor of the nasal cavity and parts of its lateral wall and roof, the roof of the oral cavity, contains the maxillary sinus, and contributes most of the inferior rim and floor of the orbit. Its alveolar process houses the teeth.
Gross anatomy
The body of the maxilla is roughly pyramidal and has four surfaces that surround the maxillary sinus, the largest paranasal sinus: anterior, infratemporal (posterior), orbital and nasal. It also has four processes: zygomatic, frontal, alveolar, and palatine. It articulates with the following bones: frontal, ethmoid, nasal, zygomatic, lacrimal, middle nasal concha, inferior nasal concha, palatine, and vomer.
Anterior surface
- has vertical protrusions overlying the roots of the teeth, with the canine eminence being the most prominent of these
- the incisive fossa runs medial to the eminence and the canine fossa is lateral to it
- above the canine fossa lies the infraorbital foramen, which transmits the infraorbital vessels and nerve
- above the infraorbital foramen lies the maxillary part of the infraorbital margin
- the anterior nasal spine is a vertical midline protuberance, with the nasal notch forming its deeply concave lateral border
Infratemporal surface
- forms the anterior wall of the infratemporal fossa
- on the inferior aspect of lateral margin, there may be a maxillary tuberosity, that appears after the appearance of the wisdom teeth
Orbital surface
- triangular in shape; forms most of orbital floor
- articulates with lacrimal bone, orbital plate of ethmoid, and orbital process of palatine bone
- posterior border forms most of anterior edge of inferior orbital fissure
- infraorbital groove passes centrally, transmits infraorbital vessels and nerve, and continues anteriorly as infraorbital canal, which opens into infraorbital foramen
- the canalis sinuosus, which transmits the anterior superior alveolar nerve and vessels, branches off of the infraorbital canal
Nasal surface
- maxillary ostium opens from maxillary sinus into hiatus semilunaris
- nasolacrimal groove is anterior to ostium; comprises two-thirds of the nasolacrimal canal circumference
- conchal crest articulates with inferior nasal concha
Zygomatic process
Pyramid-shaped projection at which anterior, infratemporal and orbital surfaces converge.
Frontal process
- located between the nasal and lacrimal bones
- contributes to the lacrimal fossa
- its medial surface is part of the lateral nasal wall
- closes anterior ethmoidal air cells
- articulates posteromedially with middle nasal concha, superiorly with nasal part of frontal bone, posterolateral with the lacrimal bone, and anteromedially with the nasal bone
Alveolar process
Contains eight sockets on each side for upper teeth; socket for canine tooth is deepest.
Palatine process
- horizontal; projects medially from lowest part of medial aspect of maxilla
- superior surface forms most of nasal floor
- inferior surface forms anterior three-fourths of hard palate
- contains two grooves posterolaterally that transmit the greater palatine vessels and nerves; additionally, many vascular foramina and depressions for palatine glands
- midline incisive fossa behind incisor teeth
- intermaxillary palatal suture runs posterior to the fossa
- two lateral incisive canals from nasal cavity open in incisive fossa and transmit terminations of greater palatine artery and nasopalatine nerve
See also
Related Radiopaedia articles
Anatomy: Head and neck
- skeleton of the head and neck
-
cranial vault
- scalp (mnemonic)
- fontanelle
-
sutures
- calvarial
- facial
- frontozygomatic suture
- frontomaxillary suture
- frontolacrimal suture
- frontonasal suture
- temporozygomatic suture
- zygomaticomaxillary suture
- parietotemporal suture (parietomastoid suture)
- occipitotemporal suture (occipitomastoid suture)
- sphenofrontal suture
- sphenozygomatic suture
- spheno-occipital suture (not a true suture)
- lacrimomaxillary suture
- nasomaxillary suture
- internasal suture
- basal/internal
- skull landmarks
- frontal bone
- temporal bone
- parietal bone
- occipital bone
- skull base (foramina)
-
facial bones
- midline single bones
- paired bilateral bones
- cervical spine
- hyoid bone
- laryngeal cartilages
-
cranial vault
- muscles of the head and neck
- muscles of the tongue (mnemonic)
- muscles of mastication
-
muscles of facial expression
- occipitalis muscle
- circumorbital and palpebral muscles
- nasal muscles
- buccolabial muscles
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- levator labii superioris alaeque nasalis muscle
- levator labii superioris muscle
- zygomaticus major muscle
- zygomaticus minor muscle
- malaris muscle
- levator anguli oris muscle
- risorius muscle
- depressors, retractors and evertors of the lower lip
- depressor labii inferioris muscle
- depressor anguli oris muscle
- mentalis muscle
- compound sphincter
- orbicularis oris muscle
- incisivus superior muscle
- incisivus inferior muscle
- muscle of mastication:
- elevators, retractors and evertors of the upper lip
- muscles of the middle ear
- orbital muscles
- muscles of the soft palate
- pharyngeal muscles
- suprahyoid muscles
- infrahyoid muscles
- intrinsic muscles of the larynx
- muscles of the neck
- accessory muscles of the neck
- deep cervical fascia
-
deep spaces of the neck
- anterior cervical space
- buccal space
- carotid space
- danger space
- deep cervical fascia
- infratemporal fossa
- masticator space
- parapharyngeal space
- stylomandibular tunnel
- parotid space
- pharyngeal (superficial) mucosal space
- perivertebral space
- posterior cervical space
- pterygopalatine fossa
- retropharyngeal space
- suprasternal space (of Burns)
- visceral space
- surgical triangles of the neck
- orbit
- ear
- paranasal sinuses
- nose
- oral cavity
- pharynx
- larynx
- viscera of the neck
- blood supply of the head and neck
-
arterial supply
-
common carotid artery
- carotid body
- carotid bifurcation
- subclavian artery
- variants
-
common carotid artery
- venous drainage
-
arterial supply
- innervation of the head and neck
-
cranial nerves
- olfactory nerve (CN I)
- optic nerve (CN II)
- oculomotor nerve (CN III)
- trochlear nerve (CN IV)
-
trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
- trigeminal ganglion
- ophthalmic division
- maxillary division
- mandibular division
- abducens nerve (CN VI)
- facial nerve (CN VII)
-
vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
- vestibular ganglion (Scarpa's ganglion)
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
-
vagus nerve (CN X)
- superior laryngeal nerve
- recurrent laryngeal nerve (inferior laryngeal nerve)
- (spinal) accessory nerve (CN XI)
- hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
- parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck
- greater occipital nerve
- third occipital nerve
-
cervical plexus
- muscular branches
- longus capitis
- longus colli
- scalenes
- geniohyoid
- thyrohyoid
-
ansa cervicalis
- omohyoid (superior and inferior bellies separately)
- sternothyroid
- sternohyoid
- phrenic nerve
- contribution to the accessory nerve (CN XI)
- cutaneous branches
- muscular branches
- brachial plexus
- pharyngeal plexus
-
cranial nerves
- lymphatic drainage of the head and neck
- embryological development of the head and neck