Upper jaw: structure, function, possible damage

The correct structure and physiological capabilities of all organs and tissues of a person's face determine not only health, but also appearance. What abnormalities can be in the development of the upper jaw, and for what does this body answer?

Features in the structure of the upper jaw

The upper jaw is a twin bone, which consists of a body and four processes. Localized in the upper front of the skull of the face, and refer it to the airway bone, because it has a cavity lined with a mucosa.

There are the following processes of the upper jaw, which received their name from the location:

• Frontal process;
• Zygomatic process;
• alveolar ridge;
• Palatine process.

Peculiarities of the structure of appendages

Also, the body of the upper jaw has four surfaces: anterior, ophthalmic, transverse and nasal.

The surface of the ophthalmic is triangular in shape, smooth to the touch and slightly inclined forward - it forms the wall of the orbit (orbit).

The anterior surface of the jaw's body is slightly curved, directly on it opens an orbital hole, below which is located a canine fossa.

Nasal surface in its structure is a complex formation. Has a maxillary cleft that leads to the maxillary sinus.

The occlusal process also forms the upper jaw, the structure of which and the functions depend on the normal operation of all the processes and surfaces.

Functions and distinctive features

What processes in the body and skull can provoke pathological changes in the structure and function of bones?

The upper jaw is responsible for a number of processes:

• Participates in the act of chewing, distributes the load on the teeth of the upper jaw.
• Determines the correct location of all processes.
• Forms a cavity for the mouth and nose, as well as their partitions.

Pathological processes

The upper jaw due to its structure and sinus presence is much lighter than the lower one, its volume is about 5 cm ³ , therefore the chance to injure the bone increases.

The jaw itself is motionless due to the fact that it fuses firmly with the remaining bones of the skull.

Among the possible pathological changes, the fracture of the jaw (upper or lower) is especially common. Trauma of the upper fusion is much easier than the bones of the lower jaw, because it, by its structure and location, does not move, which speeds up the regeneration of its bone tissue.

In addition to all kinds of fractures and dislocations, when examining a dentist, you can identify such a voluminous process as the cyst of the upper jaw, which requires prompt intervention to remove it.

On the body of the upper jaw there is a maxillary sinus, which, with improper treatment of the teeth (and not only), can inflame and there is sinusitis - another pathological process of the jaw.

Blood supply. Innervation

Blood supply of the upper jaw occurs due to the jaw artery and its branches. The teeth of the alveolar process are innervated by the trigeminal nerve, and more specifically by the maxillary branch.

With inflammation of the facial or trigeminal nerve, pain can spread to absolutely healthy teeth, which leads to a false diagnosis and sometimes even an erroneous removal of the tooth on the upper jaw.

The cases of incorrect diagnosis increase, therefore, by neglecting additional methods of examination and relying only on the subjective feelings of the patient, the doctor risks both the health of the patient and his reputation.

Features of teeth on the upper jaw

The upper jaw has a similar lower number of teeth. The teeth of the upper jaw, or rather their roots, have their differences, which consist in their number and orientation.

According to statistics, the wisdom tooth on the upper jaw erupts first and more often on the right side.

Since the bone of the upper jaw is much thinner than the bottom, the extraction of teeth has its own characteristics and special technique of carrying out. To do this, use a dental tweezers to remove teeth on the upper jaw, which has another name - bayonet.

If the roots are removed incorrectly, a fracture can occur, because the upper jaw, the structure of which does not allow the application of force, requires additional diagnostic methods before surgical manipulation. Most often for such purposes, an x-ray examination is performed-orthopantomography or computed tomography of the jaw body.

Surgical interventions

Why remove the upper jaw, and how to restore the normal function after surgery?

The presented procedure in dentistry is known as maxillectomy.

Indication for the operation can be:

• Malignant neoplasms in the body of the upper jaw and its processes, as well as pathological proliferation of the tissues of the nose, paranasal sinuses and mouth.
• Benign neoplasms can also, with progressive development, become an excuse for removing the body of the upper jaw.

The procedure of maxillectomy has a number of contraindications:

• General malaise of the patient, acute infectious diseases, specific diseases of the upper jaw in the acute stage and in the stage of exacerbation.
• With a significant spread of the pathological process, when the operation will not be a decisive step in the treatment of pathology, but will only burden the oncological patient.

Preoperative preparation of an oncological patient consists in a thorough preliminary examination aimed at revealing other pathologies in the patient's body, as well as determining the localization of the pathological neoplasm.

Before the diagnostic measures, a complete history is collected, aimed at elucidating the etiological factor and genetic predisposition.

Before any surgical procedures, it is also necessary to undergo a thorough examination with other specialists. This is, first of all, an oculist - to determine the state of the eyes of their normal functioning and the possibility of complications after the operation.

The upper jaw has an ophthalmic fossa and nasal sinuses on its body , therefore their full examination is performed before maxillectomy without fail.

In addition, before the operation is recommended to make a tomography of the head and neck, which improves the idea of the overall picture of the patient's condition and allows you to clearly see the localization of the tumor process.

In the course of the operation, complications may occur - a jaw fracture (upper) or an incorrect cut can affect the facial nerve. Any complications can affect the development of malignant education, so carrying out maxillectomy is a risk for the condition of the cancer patient.

Congenital malformations

The upper jaw can be damaged even in the prenatal period, which entails congenital malformations of the jaw and the entire face.

What can cause her pathological development before birth?

• Genetic predisposition. It is impossible to prevent this, but with proper orthodontic and orthopedic treatment after birth, it is possible to correct congenital deformities and restore the normal functioning of the upper jaw.
• Injuries during childbearing can change the physiological course of pregnancy and provoke pathological changes, which are most susceptible to the upper jaw. Also, the bad habits of the mother and the use of certain medications during pregnancy can be decisive factors in the onset of congenital pathology.

Types of pathologies

Among the main pathological processes affecting the development of the jaw are:

• Hereditary anomalies (anomalies that arise during the embryonic development of the fetus) are a one-sided or bilateral cleft of the face, microgenia, full or partial adentia (lack of teeth), hypoplasia of the nose and its sinuses, and others.
• Deformations of the apparatus of the dentoalveolar system, which originate in the development of the jaw under the influence of various unfavorable factors: endogenous or exogenous.
• Secondary processes of deformation of the dentoalveolar apparatus that arise as a result of traumatic effects on the organs of the facial skull, as well as due to irrational surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy in cancer diseases.

Anomalies of teeth. Adentium

The most frequent abnormalities of the teeth on the upper jaw can be called adentia, which, depending on the cause, is partial (the absence of several teeth) and complete (the absence of all teeth).

Also, sometimes you can observe the distal movement of the incisors with the formation of a false diastema.

For the diagnosis of the presented pathology, an x-ray examination (orthopantomography) is used, which most accurately shows the localization and the cause of the pathology.

The deformation of the jaw with supercomplete teeth is a possible outcome of the pathological process that begins in the intrauterine development of the fetus. What can lead to the presence of additional teeth that do not perform any function during the chewing process?

The presence of supercomplete teeth in the alveolar process of the upper jaw can provoke its deformation. This causes excessive growth of the alveolar process, which negatively affects not only the proper location of the teeth, but also the physiological development of the upper jaw.

Prevention of anomalies and injuries of the jaw

It is especially important from an early age to follow the development of the jaw system, undergo regular examination at the dentist and treat all pathologies of the oral cavity.

If the child has obvious anomalies of the location or growth of the teeth should immediately go through a comprehensive examination, and not only the dentist, but also the endocrinologist, neuropathologist. Sometimes anomalies in the development of the jaw are associated with a violation of the general condition of the body.

The treatment of congenital anomalies is handled by a section of dentistry such as orthodontics that studies the normal functioning of the oral cavity organs, and also diagnoses and corrects abnormal abnormalities. Treatment is best done at an early age, therefore, to delay the visit to the dentist before the eruption of all teeth or complete destruction of the jaw is not worth it.

Oral health is a guarantee of normal functioning of the digestive and respiratory system, as well as a guarantee of the child's mental health and its normal development. The psychological factor in this matter plays an important role, since the person's face is his business card. Running deformations, disfiguring appearance, leave an imprint on the psychoemotional state and form a lot of fears and phobias, right up to the sociopathic state.

Proper nutrition, the use of solid food, rational hygiene and sanitation - a pledge of healthy development of the upper jaw and all organs of the oral cavity.