Maxilla

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

is fixed to skull + is hollow, it supports a variety of structures that are essential to normal vision, respiration, mastication + speech

Question 2

What is it made up of?

Answer 2

2 bones that join together below the nose as the front section of the hard palate.
the bones are hollow + each hollow space is called the maxillary antrum (sinus) + lies just above the root apices of upper molar + second premolar teeth

Question 3

The back section of the hard palate

Answer 3

is formed by palatine bones, + the whole palate forms the floor of the nose + roof of the oral cavity, or mouth
Each side of the maxilla forms the eye socket, nose + front of the cheekbone

Question 4

The hollow space

Answer 4

is easily perforated when extracting these teeth, causing unwanted connection between the mouth + antrum called oroantral fistula
A natural connection between nasal cavity + antra exists, to allow drainage of sinuses to occur + give resonance to the voice

Question 5

Inflammation of these air spaces (sinusitis)

Answer 5

due to respiratory infection often mimics dental pain in these teeth, or dental infection can be mistaken for sinusitis

Question 6

The two maxilla bones

Answer 6

join together in centre-line of face at inter maxillary suture + lower portions of these two sections form the alveolar process. This horseshoe shaped structure is where both sets of upper teeth develop before birth + later erupt

Question 7

The back end of each side of alveolar process

Answer 7

is called the maxillary tuberosity, + this can be fractured off during difficult upper wisdom tooth extractions

Question 8

The maxilla + palatine bones

Answer 8

are perforated by several foramina to allow the passage of nerve + blood vessels to upper teeth + surrounding tissues
The 4 main ones being:

Question 9

Infraorbital foramen

Answer 9

beneath the eye sockets, through which the nerves supplying the upper teeth + their labial soft tissues pass

Question 10

Greater + lesser palatine foramina

Answer 10

at the back of the hard palate, through which the nerves supplying the palatal soft tissues of the upper posterior teeth pass

Question 11

Incisive foramen

Answer 11

at the front centre of the hard palate, through which the nerves supplying the palatal soft tissues of the upper anterior teeth pass