Maxilla

The maxillae are the largest bones of the face, except for the mandible, and form, by their union, the whole of the upper jaw. They hold the upper teeth, and connect on the left and right to the zygomatic bones (cheek bones). Each assists in forming the boundaries of three cavities, namely, the roof of the mouth, the floor and lateral wall of the nose and the floor of the orbit. The maxilla also enters into the formation of two fossae, the infratemporal and pterygopalatine, and two fissures, the inferior orbital and pterygomaxillary. It forms a small part of the orbit of the eye, and extends upwards to the topmost part of the nose. Inside the mouth, the palatine bone lies behind the maxilla on the mouth's roof.

Related Topics:
Mandible - Jaw - Teeth - Zygomatic bone - Palatine bone

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Each bone consists of a body and four processes - zygomatic, frontal, alveolar, and palatine.

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