All the muscles of the mouth and their functions - SUMMARY + IMAGE

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The mouth is a very important part of our face that allows us not only to express a large amount of feelings and emotions if not that allows us to perform many daily and essential actions in our day to day like speech, chewing, etc. To carry out all these things, the mouth and the lip region, a very specific and precise area of ​​our face, uses eleven muscles. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will list the mouth muscles and we will review its main functions. If you want to know which muscles are responsible for us to smile, vocalize or whistle, we invite you to continue reading this lesson!

Index

1. Classification of the muscles of the mouth
2. Orbicularis muscle of the mouth or muscle of the kiss
3. Elevator muscles of the upper lip
4. Lower lip muscles
5. The risorio muscle
6. Triangular lip muscle
7. Buccinator muscle

To study the muscles that form and surround the mouth, these are normally classified according to their location. The eleven muscles that we are going to talk about can be classified into four groups:

• Muscle surrounding the opening or sphincter of the mouth. Surrounding the oral sphincter, which we commonly call the mouth, is a single muscle, the orbicularis or labialis muscle.
• Elevator muscles of the upper lip. It is the group formed by the muscles that are in the upper area of ​​the mouth, between it and the nose. Within this group we find 5 muscles: the common levator muscle of the wing of the nose and the upper lip, the zygomaticus muscle major, the zygomaticus minor muscle, the levator propria of the upper lip and the levator anguli or canine muscle. All of them participate, in different ways, in the smile.
• Lower lip muscles. These, as their name suggests, are found in the lower part of the mouth, below the lower lip. This area is not as mobile as the upper part of the mouth, and therefore is made up of fewer muscles. Specifically, this group consists of only two muscles: the chin or beard tassel muscle or chin muscle and square muscle of the chin or beard (also called lip depressor muscle lower).
• Other muscles. The three remaining muscles are grouped into a "disaster box" group since they are further from the opening of the mouth than the muscles we have named so far. The three muscles within this group are: the buccinator muscle, the Santorini risorio muscle or simply the risorio muscle and the depressor angina muscle of the mouth or the triangular muscle of the lips.

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The orbicularis oris muscle of the mouth or lips is locateda surrounding the entire perimeter of the mouth opening. The fibers that form it are arranged concentrically, forming a ring that surrounds this opening.

This muscle is also called the kiss muscle since it not only allows us to make the movement of bringing the lips together, typical of kisses, but also intervenes in actions varied such as:

• Close lips, both keeping the lips more relaxed and in the gesture of giving kisses.
• Aspirate through the mouth, as for example when we drink through a cane or straw.
• Play an instrument of wind
• Vocalize through the movement of dental occlusion, which is opposed to that made by the tongue
• Participate in the expressions varied facials
• Participate in the chewing by strong occlusion movement of the lips

This muscle is made up of four parts, joined together but also each one of them is joined to the corresponding buccinator muscle.

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Within the group of muscles of the mouth located on the upper lip we find 5 muscles:

1. Common levator nose and upper lip: This muscle is involved in the dilation of the nostrils and the raising of the upper lip.
2. Levator angus muscle or canine muscle: Its function is to raise the corner of the mouth. It contributes to the formation of different expressions such as sadness (deepening the groove that forms between the nose and the angle of the mouth) or the threat (by means of a forceful contraction of this muscle together with other related ones contributes to the exposure of the canine).
3. Zygomaticus major muscle: Among others, this muscle is responsible for withdrawing the buccinator muscle outwards and upwards to create a smile.
4. Zygomaticus minor muscle: Contrary to the previous one, the zygomatic minor is in charge of pulling up and raising the upper lip by showing contentment or depressing the nasolabial fold, indicating sadness.
5. Elevator upper lip muscle: The role of this muscle is to elevate the upper lip and, like the zygomaticus minor, it also deepens the nasolabial fold during sadness.

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The lower part of the mouth has only two muscles:

1. Chin or beard tassel or chin muscle: It is responsible for raising the chin and lower lip. The contraction of this muscle forms folds or wrinkles in the skin of the chin that can occur, for example, during crying.
2. Square muscle of the chin or beard: Also called the depressor muscle of the lower lip and it pulls the lip in a lower direction and discreetly lateral, generating the facial expression related to revulsion, hatred or aversion.

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Despite being a variable, superficial, and thin muscle, the risorio muscle performs some very important functions in facial expression and in human relationships. Some of the most important functions are:

• Pull the corner of the mouth laterally and upwards to generate the action of smile slightly.
• Participate in the formation of dimples of the cheek.
• Expands the oral cleft to show wide smiles.

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This muscle gets its name from its shape triangular, wide, flattened and thin. The triangular muscle of the lips runs between the anterolateral border of the mandible and the corner of the lips.

It has a very specific function: mouth corner strip displacing it downward and to the side, which is why other authors call it the depressor angina muscle of the mouth. Its activation gives the smile an expression of sadness, unhappiness, boredom or melancholy.

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The buccinator muscle is arranged between maxilla and mandible on each side, and is deeper than the rest of the muscles in this facial region. It is therefore a pair muscle.

The main functions of the buccinator muscle They are:

• Energetic expulsion of air, by the sudden contraction of the cheeks.
• Intervenes in the smile creation, pulling from behind the labial commissures and moving the orbicularis oculi muscle with it, lengthening the oral cleft.
• Opposes the force exerted by the tongue when it is at rest. When relaxed, it makes the cheek rest against the back teeth and sockets which produces a force that helps the orbicularis oculi to oppose the force of the tongue against the teeth.
• It intervenes, together with the orbicularis oris of the mouth in chewing. While chewing, this muscle presses the cheek against the teeth and prevents the accumulation of food between the teeth and the cheek.

These eleven muscles are responsible for providing mobility and allowing the mouth to perform its functions. own but is closely related to the muscles of other areas of the face such as the muscle plateau. If you want to know more about Muscles of the face and their function, we invite you to visit the lesson dedicated to this topic.

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If you want to read more articles similar to Mouth muscles, we recommend that you enter our category of biology.

• Jaramillo Quiroz, MC. (2017) Mimic muscles. (Work of professional sufficiency) Inca University of Garcilaso de la Vega, Lima (Peru).
• Pillou J.F. (March 2, 2015). Orbicularis muscle of the mouth - Definition. Recovered from https://salud.ccm.net/faq/22727-musculo-orbicular-de-la-boca-definicion
• Dolopedia (s.f) Muscles of the lips and mouth. Recovered from https://dolopedia.com/categoria/musculos-de-los-labios-y-la-boca