Maxilla

Maxilla
Maxilla
	Position of the maxilla
	Animation of the maxilla
Details
Precursor	First branchial arch
Identifiers
Latin	maxilla
MeSH	D008437
TA98	A02.1.12.001
TA2	756
FMA	9711
	Anatomical terms of bone

In vertebrates, the maxilla (pl.: maxillae /mækˈsɪliː/)^[2] is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth.^[3]^[4] The two maxillary bones are fused at the intermaxillary suture, forming the anterior nasal spine. This is similar to the mandible (lower jaw), which is also a fusion of two mandibular bones at the mandibular symphysis. The mandible is the movable part of the jaw.

^ hednk-023—Embryo Images at University of North Carolina
^ OED 2nd edition, 1989.
^ Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
^ Fehrenbach; Herring (2012). Illustrated Anatomy of the Head and Neck. Elsevier. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-4377-2419-6.

[1] hednk-023—Embryo Images at University of North Carolina

[2] OED 2nd edition, 1989.

[3] Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

[4] Fehrenbach; Herring (2012). Illustrated Anatomy of the Head and Neck. Elsevier. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-4377-2419-6.

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