Discover ALL the parts of the language
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The language It is a muscular, cone-shaped organ found inside the mouth. The tongue has important functions in our daily life such as hydration of the mouth and food through the salivation and swallowing of these but it is also vital to articulate the words that allow us to communicate and for the sense of taste since the taste buds are found in it. The language has different parts, each of which has a certain form and function that we will review in this lesson from a TEACHER. If you want to know what are the parts of the tongue and their functions We invite you to keep reading!
Index
- The tongue and its parts
- The lingual root
- The back of the tongue
- Lower face of the tongue
- Lingual borders
- Lingual apex or tip
The tongue and its parts.
The tongue is an organ with a shape similar to a cone in which we can see two parts, one still (lingual root) and another mobile (lingual body). In turn, in the lingual body we can differentiate two faces: the upper face or
dorsal, that hits the palate and face lower, which rests on the floor of the mouth.In addition, within each of them we will be able to differentiate different regions. Next we are going to discover in more detail what are the parts of the language and that, thus, you know them in detail.
Image: drawings images biology system apparatus
The lingual root.
The root It is one of the parts of the tongue that is located at the back of the mouth. This portion of the tongue is the immobile part and its only function is to hold the moving part and make the tongue go down to give way to the food bolus, so it is related to quite powerful muscles. This part is more irregular than the mobile part and associated with it are another series of structures:
- Lingual tonsils. They are two masses of tissue with immune function that are found on both sides of the root of the tongue. Its function is to defend against infections, mainly bacteria and viruses.
- Epiglottis. The epiglottis is a cartilaginous structure found at the end of the root of the tongue at the beginning of the pharynx (oropharynx). The epiglottis prevents the passage of the food bolus at the time of swallowing, preventing it from diverting into the airways.
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The back of the tongue.
The back of the tongue It is the upper part of it, which we can see if we take our tongue out of our mouth. On this side of the tongue we can find the terminal sulcus or lingual V, name that has been given to the open V-shaped pattern formed by goblet papillae. The lingual V is located on the border between the fixed part of the tongue (posterior third of the tongue) and the mobile part or body of the tongue (anterior two thirds of the tongue) and is easily distinguishable as two rows of eleven large taste buds, at the end of the movable part of the tongue, in a V-shape open towards the tip of the language. These taste buds are responsible for detecting the bitter taste.
If we continue towards the tip of the tongue, we find a more or less smooth surface, which is closely related to the palate and which is what we commonly call the tongue. This surface has some slight undulations, called convolutions. Some of these convolutions are hereditary while others are acquired and different from each individual. In the central part we can find a line, which divides the tongue from the lingual V to the tip of the tongue and is called central groove. The central groove can be more or less deep depending on the person. On the sides of the central sulcus, on the back of the tongue, we can find three different types of papillaegustatory:
- The fungiform papillae they are especially abundant just in front of the lingual V and are large and bright red in color and are in charge of receiving the stimulus of the sweet taste. These papillae are more reactive in children and the elderly, so these individuals perceive sweet flavors with greater power.
- The filiform papillae they are arranged over most of the surface of the dorsum of the tongue, in rows parallel to the central sulcus to the lingual edges. Its function is not to perceive any flavor but to perceive mechanical and thermal stimuli. Unlike the previous ones, they are more active in adults than in children or the elderly.
- The foliated papillae They are small folds of the lingual mucosa, poorly developed that are mostly found on the posterior lateral part of the tongue. Its function is to activate itself and perceive the salty taste.
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Lower face of the tongue.
Another part of the tongue is the underside of the tongue that rests on the floor of the mouth. In the midline of this face is the frenulum of the tongue or lingual frenulum. The lingual frenulum is a crescent-shaped membranous structure that limits the movement of the tongue and keeps it in a more or less middle position inside the mouth.
On the sides of the frenulum, in the deepest part of the mouth, we can find two bulges perforated in its center, which are the holes of Wharton ducts outlet or submaxillary salivary glands. A little further back are the exit orifices of the sublingual salivary glands.
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Lingual borders.
The lingual edges They are the edges of the free part of the tongue. Normally, when the tongue is relaxed, they are held on the teeth (dental arch). Being in constant contact with the teeth, this part of the tongue has bacteria filters.
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Lingual apex or tip.
It is the apex of the free part of the tongue and is therefore also called lingual apex. In this part are most of the taste buds responsible for tasting food during chewing.
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