Mastication

Mastication is the mechanical breakdown of food by coordinated jaw movements and the action of teeth and oral muscles. It mixes food with saliva and forms a bolus for swallowing.

Masticatory muscles: The muscles that move the jaw and stabilize it during chewing. Their coordinated contractions generate and control chewing movements.
Tooth: A calcified structure in the mouth specialized for cutting, tearing, or grinding food. Different tooth shapes divide food through distinct cutting and crushing actions.
Digestion: The processes that break food into substances the body can absorb and use. Chewing begins mechanical digestion before food reaches the stomach.
Mastication versus swallowing: The distinction between breaking food down in the mouth and moving it through the throat. Chewing prepares food; swallowing transports it beyond the mouth.
Temporomandibular joint: The joint connecting the mandible to the skull, allowing jaw movement. It guides the mandible through the opening, closing, and lateral motions of chewing.
Mandible: The lower jawbone, which carries the lower teeth and moves during chewing. Its movement brings the teeth into contact with food.
Bolus (digestion): A soft mass of chewed food and saliva prepared for swallowing. Bolus formation is a direct outcome of effective chewing.
Biting: The action of closing the jaws to cut or seize an object with the teeth. Biting initiates food breakdown, while mastication repeatedly processes it.
Occlusion (dentistry): The contact relationship between the upper and lower teeth when the jaws close. Tooth contact determines how biting and grinding forces meet.
Periodontal ligament: A fibrous tissue that connects a tooth root to the surrounding jawbone. It senses and transmits forces generated when teeth bite food.

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