Cupid's Bow

We just learned about the Lips that help us eat and protect our mouth.

Another part of the mouth is the Cupid's Bow.

This is the shape of the line on the upper lip, that is shaped kind of like a bow for a bow and arrow.

Because it is shaped like a bow, and because people use lips for kissing, this part of the mouth got the nickname cupid's bow.


(from: wikipedia - cupid's bow)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Maxillary Lateral Incisor

Lips

We just learned about the part on the roof of the mouth called the Palatine Raphe.

Another part of the mouth is the Lips.
The big long names for the upper and lower lips are the Labium superius oris and "Labium inferius oris.
Labium means lip, superius and inferius are for upper and lower, and then oris is for the face, near the mouth.

The lips have no sweat glands, and can not grow hair.
Skin on the lips is softer than the face skin.

Most of the skin on the face has 16 layers, but the skin on the lips only has about 4 layers.
It also doesn't have the same coloring cells as the face does, so you can see right through the top skin and see the blood vessels underneath it.
That's why the lips are pink or red, because of the blood vessels underneath.

There are a whole bunch of muscles for the lips that we learned about a while ago:
Upper lip: levator labii superioris and levator anguli oris
Lower lip: depressor anguli oris, depressor labii inferioris, mentalis

Lips are used to open and close for food, to help make sounds when we talk, and also to kiss!
Because lips are on the human face, people try very hard to make their lips look nice, sometimes using makeup or lip gloss, and sometimes even having surgery to make their lips look bigger.

The lips are very important to keep healthy, which is why there are things like lip balm to protect them.
Healthy lips help protect the mouth from the outside, and keep a healthy mouth!


(from: wikipedia - lip)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Central Incisors

Palatine Raphe

We just learned about the bump of skin behind your front teeth called the Incisive Papilla.

Another part of the mouth is the Palatine Raphe.

This is the bump on the roof of the mouth in the middle that goes from front to back.
Some people have a big bump that sticks out, but for others it is just a little bump.


(from: wikipedia - palatine raphe)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Baby Teeth

Incisive Papilla

We just learned about the ridges on the roof of the mouth called the Palatal Rugae.

Another part of the inside of the mouth is the Incisive Papilla.

Right behind the top two front teeth called incisors is a little bump of skin that sticks down.
A bump in mouth medical words is usually called a "papilla" and its right behind the incisors so it's called the incisive papilla.
It's usually right in the middle, and you can feel it with your tongue right behind the teeth.


(from: wikipedia - incisor)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Teeth

Palatal Rugae

We just learned about the soft part on the roof of the mouth called the Soft Palate.

Another part of the top of the mouth is the Palatal Rugae.

These are the little ridges on the top of the mouth behind the teeth.
Because of the way they are shaped, they help move food toward the back of the mouth.

Palatal means it is on the hard palate in the mouth, and the word rugae (sounds like roo-gah-ee) means ridges.


(from: wikipedia - rugae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Human Mouth

Soft Palate

We just learned about the Hard Palate on the roof of the mouth.

Another part of the mouth is the Soft Palate.

This is on the roof of your mouth, right at the back of your throat.
You can feel that this is soft, and under the skin are five different muscles that help you swallow.

They all have big long names, but they make sense if you understand what they are doing:

- Levator & Tensor veli palatini - Lift and tightens up the palate to block the back of the throat so food doesn't go up to your nose

- Palatoglossus & Palatopharyngeus - Use the palate muscles to pull on the back of your throat (pharynx) to close up the place where you breathe (trachea) and make sure the food goes down the esophagus where it's supposed to

- Musculus uvulae - Moves the uvula to help block food from going up your nose


(from: wikipedia - soft palate)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Interphalangeal Ligaments

Hard Palate

We just learned about the Sublingual Caruncle.

Another part of the mouth is the Hard Palate.

This is the roof of your mouth, right over your tongue.
You can push up on it with your tongue, and it is hard because there is bone right there underneath the skin.


(from: wikipedia - hard palate)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Metatarsal Ligaments

Sublingual Caruncle

We just learned about the Fimbriated Fold.

Another part of the mouth is the Sublingual Caruncle.

Sublingual means "underneath the tongue", and caruncle means some skin sticking out like a bump.

Remember the frenulum is the piece of skin under the tongue that holds it in place.
On each side of the frenulum is a little bump.
That bump is the sublingual caruncle, and it is where most of the saliva or spit in your mouth comes out of.


(from: wikipedia - submandibular gland)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Distal Intertarsal Ligaments

Fimbriated Fold

We just learned about the Frenulum.

Another part of the mouth is the Fimbriated Fold of the tongue, also sometimes called the Plica Fimbriata.
The word fimbria comes from the latin word for "fringe"
These are two folds of skin on the bottom of the tongue, going front to back on either side of the frenulum.

For most people these just look like lines with bumps going down the tongue, but for some people there are small pieces of skin sticking out longer.


(from: wikipedia - fimbriated fold of tongue)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Transverse Tarsal Ligaments

Frenulum

We just learned about the Foramen Cecum.

Another part of the mouth is the Frenulum.

This is the piece of skin underneath the tongue that helps hold your tongue in place.


(from: wikipedia - frenulum of tongue)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Talocalcaneal Ligaments

Foramen Cecum

We just learned about the Sulcus Terminus.

Another part of the tongue is the Foramen Cecum.

Remember the median sulcus is the line that goes down the middle of your tongue.
At the back of your tongue, and at the end of that line is the foramen cecum.

We also learned that the sulcus terminus is a v shape at the back of the tongue.
In the middle of the v shape is the foramen cecum.

So right where the "median sulcus" line and "sulcus terminus" v shape meet is the "foramen cecum" point.


(from: wikipedia - tongue)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Talocrural and Ankle Ligaments

Sulcus Terminus

We just learned about the Median Sulcus.

Another part of the human tongue is the Sulcus Terminus.

This is all the way on the back of the tongue.
Right before the back of the throat, some of the skin in the tongue makes a V-shape,
that comes to a point in the middle right at the end of the median sulcus before going down the throat.

This is called the sulcus terminus.


(from: wikipedia - tongue)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Inferior Tibiofibular Joint

Median Sulcus

We just learned about the Circumvallate Papillae.

Another part of the tongue is the Median Sulcus.

Right on the top middle of your tongue there is a line going all the way from front to back.

This line is the median sulcus, and it divides the tongue into a left and right side.
It's sort of like a line in a piece of paper that's been folded, and most people can fold their tongue in half right there inside their mouth.
With the tongue folded right on that line, sometimes it can help when eating food.


(from: wikipedia - tongue)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Superior Tibiofibular Ligaments

Circumvallate Papillae

We just learned about the Foliate Papillae.

Another part of the mouth is the Circumvallate papillae.

We know the filiform papillae are just for touch,
the fungiform papillae have taste buds,
and the foliate papillae are soft folded skin on the sides and back of the tongue with taste buds.

The circumvallate papillae are rounded on top, and the tongue has around 8 to 12 of them.
They are on the back part of the tongue, with one row on each side.
These papillae are usually bigger bumps than the other types of bumps on the tongue.



(from: wikipedia - lingual papillae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Patellar Ligament

Foliate Papillae

We just learned about the Fungiform Papillae.

Another part of the mouth is the Foliate Papillae.

So we know the filiform papillae are just for touch, and the fungiform papillae have the taste buds.

The foliate papillae are on the back and sides of the tongue, and almost look like they have folds on them.
They are soft, and don't have any keratin, but they do have taste buds on them.



(from: wikipedia - lingual papillae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Medial and Lateral Meniscus

Fungiform Papillae

We just learned about the Filiform Papillae.

Another type of lingual papillae is the Fungiform Papillae.

Remember the lingual papillae are the bumps on the top of your tongue, and there are a few different types.

The fungiform papillae are shaped like a club, and are usually red.
They are mixed in along with all of the filiform papillae, but they are mostly found on the tip and sides of the tongue.

These bumps have taste buds, and can sense the five different tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami.



(from: wikipedia - lingual papillae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Knee Ligaments

Filiform Papillae

We just learned about the Taste Buds.

Another part of the tongue is the Filiform Papillae.

The lingual papillae that we learned about come in a few different shapes and sizes.
One of those is the filiform papillae, which are small and cone shaped, with small threads at the top.

These papillae do not have any taste buds, they are only used by the tongue for feeling, and to give the tongue a rough feeling.

The tongue has more filiform papillae than any other type of papillae.



(from: wikipedia - lingual papillae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hip Femur Ligaments

Taste Buds

We just learned about the Lingual Papillae.

Another part of the mouth is the Taste Buds.

The lingual papillae are the little bumps on the tongue, and on most of those little bumps are what we call taste buds, or taste receptors.

The taste receptors or buds are the tongue are what tell your mouth what flavor something is.
There are five different taste types: salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami.

The human tongue usually has from 2,000 to 8,000 taste buds.


(from: wikipedia - taste bud)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Phalangeal Ligaments

Lingual Papillae

We just learned about the Specialized Mucosa.

Another part of the mouth is the Lingual Papillae.

These are the little bumps on the top of your tongue that are where your taste buds are.
The way the tongue has these little bumps helps your tongue be able to taste all sorts of different flavors.


(from: wikipedia - lingual papillae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Metacarpal Ligaments

Specialized Mucosa

We just learned about the Lining Mucosa.

Another part of the mouth is the Specialized Mucosa.

This is the skin on the top of the tongue that makes up the taste buds that tell you what something tastes like!


(from: wikipedia - lingual papillae)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Intercarpal Ligaments