What’s Inside Your Mouth, Part 2
The Mouth is made up of more than just teeth. In it you will find gums, oral mucosa, upper and lower jaw, tongue, salivary glands, uvula, and the frenulum. Previous 
articles discuss the gums, oral mucosa and upper and lower jaw. In this article we will discuss what the other parts that make up the mouth do and what exactly their functions are.
The tongue is an extremely powerful muscle that is covered in mucosal tissue that includes your taste buds. The tongue is crucial to your oral health and is also one of the most crucial part of the body’s digestive system. It’s responsibility is moving food to your teeth, and when the food is chewed, the tongue moves the food to the back of the throat so it can proceed to the esophagus.
The tongue also is what enables a person to speak by shaping the sounds that come out of your mouth.
In your mouth and neck, you have three sets of salivary glands; the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands. These glands produce saliva. This saliva contains enzymes that helps break down food. For good oral health, saliva is very critical. The saliva protects your teeth and gums by “rinsing” them from food particles and bacteria.
Ya know the “punching bag” in the back of your throat? That is called the uvula. It is a small flap of tissue composed of muscle fibers as well as connective and glandular tissue. The uvula has stumped scientists for years as to what exactly its role is in the human body. We do know it plays some role in speech and keeping the mouth and throat moist. Best Family Dentist Queen Creek AZ 85142
Lastly, the Frenulum Linguae is the flap of oral mucosa that connects the tongue to the bottom on the mouth. This flap is what allows the tongue to be able to move about as it does its job. If an infant is born with a frenulum that is too short or not elastic enough, the baby will have a tough time sucking, especially breastfeeding. Also, a short frenulum can affect speech. Best Family Dentist Queen Creek AZ 85142
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