The Probert Encyclopaedia of Medicine

MAXILLA

The maxilla is one of the primary facial bones and defines much of the face below the orbits and above the jawbone. The maxilla (with the ethmoid bone, frontal bone, and zygomatic bones) forms much of the lateral walls of the nasal cavity, the orbital cavity, and part of the cheek. The
maxilla also mounts the top row of teeth in a non-movable foundation, so that chewing is enabled by moving the mandibular teeth against them. The outer wings of the maxilla, where it meets the zygomatic bones, are called the zygomatic processes. The upper part of the
maxilla, which forms the lower, inner surface of the orbit cavity, is called the orbital surface of the
maxilla, while the exterior surface, just between the orbit and the nasal cavity, is called the frontal process of the
maxilla. The roof of the mouth is formed by the palatine bone, which is attached to the maxilla just behind the teeth.
Research Maxilla