Anterior Perspective of the Buccinator Muscles

Description

Frontal anatomy centers on the paired buccinator muscles, presented as broad, flat sheets forming the muscular wall of each cheek. Each buccinator lies lateral to the maxilla and mandible and deep to where the facial soft tissues would sit, spanning from the region of the alveolar processes toward the modiolus at the corner of the mouth, where it intermingles with orbicularis oris and neighboring perioral fibers. Surrounding bony landmarks remain visible, including the maxilla with upper dentition, the mandible with lower teeth, the nasal aperture, and the orbits, with the superior cervical vertebrae included inferiorly. Masseter muscles appear on the lateral rami of the mandible as prominent masticatory pads. Functionally, this is the cheek muscle that clinicians think about when food collects in the buccal vestibule. Buccinator weakness, classically with facial nerve (CN VII) palsy, leads to bolus trapping between the teeth and cheek and contributes to drooling, even when the mandible and masseter still generate bite force. The anterior perspective also helps when teaching the relationship of buccinator to intraoral procedures, because the parotid duct pierces the cheek to open opposite the maxillary second molar, a landmark that matters during local infiltration, duct cannulation, and repair of cheek lacerations. Dental anatomy courses, head and neck dissection labs, and oral and maxillofacial surgery teaching files can use this plate to orient learners to the cheek wall in relation to the maxilla, mandible, and dentition. It also fits well in patient education materials on facial nerve palsy, dysphagia mechanics in the oral phase, and postoperative counseling after intraoral approaches. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.