Mastication

Mastication or chewing is the process by which food is torn and/or crushed by teeth. It is the first step of digestion. Through chewing, the food is made softer and warmer and the enzymes in saliva begin to break down carbohydrates in the food.

Related Topics:
Teeth - Digestion - Enzymes - Carbohydrates

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The term is often ridiculed as it bears a strong similarity to the term masturbation.

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After chewing, the food (now called a bolus) is swallowed. It enters the esophagus and continues on to the stomach, where the next step of digestion occurs.

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Mastication is chiefly possible thanks to powerful muscles, masseter and temporalis, as well as smaller muscles that allow fine control.

Related Topics:
Masseter - Temporalis

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They move the mandible against the upper jaw and enable crushing of relatively hard food.

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In humans, the mandible is connected with the temporomandibular joint that permits forward-backward and side to side movement.

Related Topics:
Mandible - Temporomandibular joint

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Some animals, called ruminants, chew food more than once. These animals, such as cows, chew their food more than once for the extra nutrients in it. This food is called cud.

Related Topics:
Ruminant - Cow - Cud

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