Monicccaalmost 2 years ago

Swallowing anatomy

We can have a look at some more anatomy of the head and neck if we look at the anatomy of swallowing. We need to consider the oral cavity, the tongue and the palate, and then the parts of the pharynx. There are 3 longitudinal muscles of the pharynx that elevate it and the larynx during swallowing, and 3 constrictor muscles of the pharynx that start pushing the bolus of food into the oesophagus. There are a couple of important cranial nerves to focus on. Also, while we're there - the gag reflex!