Bones of the face: types, characteristics and location

We see it every day in the mirror and, although we easily recognize it as our own, many of us know little or nothing of what lies beneath our skin.

The face is a familiar part of everyone, almost the most. It is what gives us, so to speak, external personality since in a world where appearances matter, the face is the most important: it is our letter of introduction.

Under it we can find many bones, many of them unknown to most of people since, despite being so important, it is the anatomical part that is least studied in schools. That is why we bring here the list with the main bones of the face, what structures they make up and with what they are inserted.

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What are the bones of the face?

Although we are not very narcissistic people, the face is that part of the body that worries us the most, since our appearance depends a lot on it. But despite the fact that it is that part of the body that we see every day, looking in the mirror while we get ready in the morning, It is also that great unknown since the layers of skin that are in it prevent us from seeing the bone complexity that have.

Anatomically, we can define the face as a bony conglomerate located in the lower and anterior part of the head.. This structure is made up of many bones despite being a relatively small region, with a total of fourteen bone structures that can be found in it. Of these fourteen bones, six are even and two are odd or unique, located near the facial midline and housing the organs of most of the senses in their various cavities.

1. Maxilla

The maxilla is made up of a pair of short, irregular bones flattened from the inside out.. It has two faces, one internal and one external, and also four edges and four angles. Its lower edge serves as an insert for the teeth of the upper jaw, that is, the teeth of the upper jaw.

This structure is articulated with:

• The maxilla on the opposite side in the midline.
• The frontal and the ethmoid, together with the bones of the nose above.
• The palatines and the vomer towards the middle and behind.
• It forms part of the eye orbit and the nostrils.

2. Palatines

The palatines are a pair of short, irregular bones, one on the right side and the other on the left side. They are located behind the maxilla with which they articulate forward.

These bones articulate with:

• The other palatine on the opposite side.
• The sphenoid from behind.
• Vomer and lower nostrils above.
• They make up part of the nostrils.

3. Zygomatic or malar bone

The zygomatics are two short, irregular bones located on the outermost part of the face, just at the level of the cheeks And, in fact, they are also known as the malar bones or the cheekbones. Its shape is flattened from outside to inside and, having four edges with their respective four angles, its shape suggests that of a quadrilateral. It has two faces, one external and one internal, which are found on the lower face and lateral to the front.

The zygomatics articulate with:

• The front from above.
• The upper jaws below.
• The storms on the sides.
• Dan forms part of the eye socket.

4. Nasal bone

The nasal bone, also called the proper bone of the nose, is a paired bone located on each side of the midline and located just above the human nose, being in fact the only external structure of that region that is composed of bone tissue, specifically a quadrilateral sheet with two faces and four edges.

This structure is articulated with:

• The frontal bone from above.
• The upper jaw below.
• The other side of the proper bone of the nose and the ethmoid.
• It is part of the nostrils.

5. Lower turbinates or nasal shells

The turbinates are two bones located in the lower part of the nostrils. Their other name, the lower nostrils, indicates that they are part of the nostrils. They have two faces, one internal and one external, two edges and two extremities.

The turbinates of the face articulate with:

• The ethmoid and maxilla from above.
• The palatine from behind.
• The tear ducts ahead.

6. Unguis or tear bones

The lacrimal bones are an even bone that is located in the anterior part of the inner face of the fossa that makes up the ocular orbit. They are also characterized by the fact that they contribute to the formation of the nasal passages and constitute a small bone lamina. Its shape is quadrilateral and irregular, having two faces and four edges.

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7. Vomer

Vomer is a bone with a curious name that just so happens is unique and odd, unlike most of the bones that make up the face. It is located in the midface, constituting the posterior part of the nasal septum. It is a very thin quadrilateral sheet that has two faces and two edges.

The vomer is articulated with:

• The ethmoid and sphenoid above.
• The upper jaws and the palatines below.
• It is part of the nasal septum.

8. Lower jaw or mandible

The lower jaw is a large, single bone of irregular but symmetrical shape that is located in the center of the facial midline, although in its lower part. It is shaped like a horseshoe and is attached to other bones by means of a mobile joint, which gives it some freedom of movement.

It is thanks to this joint that we can move the lower jaw to be able to chew, speak or gesture. It has two faces, one anterior and one posterior, two lateral extremities or ascending branches and two edges, an upper one that gives insertion to the teeth of the lower arch.

Bony joints of the face

Now that we have seen the 8 types of bones in the face, which actually constitute the 14 bones of this anatomical region, we are going to talk about the bony unions that they form. Four structures arise mainly from the union of the bones of the face: the ocular orbit, the nostrils, the pterygomaxillary fossa and the palatal vault.

1. Eye orbit

The eye orbits are widely recognizable excavated cavities for being the holes where the eyes are. These cavities are between the face and the rest of the skull and are characterized by being located on both sides of the face, one on the right and the other on the left, presenting a quadrangular pyramid shape with a base previous.

Inside the orbit we can see four walls:

• Superior or roof: it is formed by the horizontal portion of the frontal and the minor wing of the sphenoid.
• Inferior or floor: formed by the pyramidal process of the maxilla, the orbital process of the zygomatic and the orbital process of the palatine.
• Internal: formed by the ascending process of the maxilla, the tear ducts and the orbital lamina of the ethmoid.
• External: formed by the greater wing of the sphenoid and the orbital processes of the zygomatic and the frontal bone.

2. Nostrils

We can describe the nostrils as long, flattened corridors, characterized by being located transversely to the right and left of the midline. Each of them has four walls and two openings, one front and one back. Delving into these four walls, we observe:

• External wall: formed by six bones, which are the upper jaw, the sphenoid, the palatine, the lacrimal, the lower nasal shells and the ethmoid.
• Internal wall: it is made up of the nasal septum, which in turn is made up of the vomer and the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid.
• Upper wall or roof: it is formed by the own bones of the nose, the nasal spine of the frontal bone, the horizontal lamina of the ethmoid and the body of the sphenoid.
• Lower wall or floor: it is formed by the palatal process of the upper jaw and the horizontal lamina of the bone.

3. Pterygomaxillary fossa

The pterygomaxillary fossa is a small region located inside the zygomatic fossa. This structure is shaped like a quadrangular pyramid with four walls, a base and a vertex.

4. Palatine vault

The palatine vault is a horseshoe-shaped region that is limited behind the posterior edge of the palatine. In front and to the sides is the alveolar border of the maxilla.