Dissection of oral region

Nerves and blood vessels to lower teeth, left lateral view

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Image #69-1

Dissection of oral region Nerves and blood vessels to lower teeth, left lateral view The soft tissues have been cut away to expose the left half of the body of the mandible. The bone has been ground away to reveal the dental roots together with their nerves and vessels. Nearly all of the numerous veins which accompanied the inferior alveolar artery in the mandibular canal has been cut away. The late results of dental extraction are of interest in this specimen in which the lower first molar had been removed at some time during life. Complete healing of the alveolar bone and some hollowing of the alveolar margin has occurred. The upper first-molar (7) has descended into the gap created by the extraction, and the lower second molar (10) has become tilted anteriorly. Two nerve filaments and small blood vessels extended into the area of the extraction. 1 . Canine 2 . Gingiva 3 . Vascular plexus in alveolar periosteum (injected with blue latex) 4 . Cut section of lower lip near midline 5 . Inferior dental branches inferior dental plexus 6 . Mental nerve and artery emerging from mental foramen (cut open) 7 . Upper molar I (protruding below normal position see note above) 8 . Upper pointer: Masseter muscle (central portion) Lower pointer: Buccinator muscle 9 . Parotid duct 10 . Dens molaris inferior II (tilted anteriorly as result of extraction of first molar) 11 . Inferior alveolar nerve within mandibular canal 12 . Gingiva and alveolar part of mandible (at former site of molar I) 13 . Inferior alveolar artery 14 . Margin of dissected area of mandible (note thickness of compact bone) 15 . Anterior facial vein (cut off) 16 . External maxillary artery (covered by plexus of small veins; cut end obscured by fat)