Facial skeleton
The group of skull bones that forms the face, supports the teeth, and surrounds the nasal and orbital cavities. It is also called the viscerocranium.
Maxilla: A paired bone of the upper jaw that supports the upper teeth and contributes to the hard palate, nasal cavity, and orbits. It is the central upper-jaw bone and meets several other facial bones.
Orbit (anatomy): The bony cavity that houses the eye and its associated nerves, vessels, and muscles. Several facial bones form the orbit’s floor and medial and lateral walls.
Le Fort fracture: A fracture pattern that separates portions of the midface from the skull along one of three classic levels. Its named fracture lines track recurring weak planes through the midfacial bones.
Neurocranium: The part of the skull that encloses and protects the brain. It forms the skull’s braincase, in contrast to the face-forming viscerocranium.
Mandible: The lower jawbone, which holds the lower teeth and moves at the temporomandibular joints. It is the facial skeleton’s only freely movable bone.
Nasal cavity: The air-filled space inside the nose, extending from the nostrils to the nasopharynx. The facial skeleton forms its lateral walls, floor, and anterior boundary.
Zygomaticomaxillary complex fracture: A fracture involving the zygoma and its articulations with the maxilla, frontal, temporal, and sphenoid bones. It disrupts a major cheekbone junction and can affect the orbit and jaw opening.
Cranium: The bony framework of the head, comprising the neurocranium and facial skeleton. It is the broader structure divided into the braincase and facial skeleton.
Zygomatic bone: A paired cheekbone that forms part of the lateral orbital wall and the zygomatic arch. It gives the face its cheek prominence and links the face to the temporal bone.
Hard palate: The bony partition separating the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. The maxilla and palatine bones build this floor of the nasal cavity.