Upper jaw

“ If in the highest type of physical man the width of the upper jaw from the outer surface of the permanent molars near the gum margin was originally 2·50 inches in diameter, the jaw of people now living in the same locality is from 0·25 to 0·33 inches smaller. Although the jaw has thus been growing smaller, since there are no breaks or deformities in the contour of the dental arch this must be regarded simply as an adaptation to environment, and not degeneracy in the proper sense of the term. ”

“ The upper jaw bone is the most complex of all the bones of the face. Looking at its central part or body we are first of all struck with the cavity in it—the antrum of Highmore. Now, if you take a hundred bones, you will not be able to find two antra exactly alike, but they will differ in size, in shape, in depth, in width, and in size of their angles and inclination of each of their walls. And all these peculiarities influence the countenance, and must, therefore, be studied before you can hope to be successful in replacing the lost dental organs. ”

“ The upper jaw at the same time fails to expand laterally: in vigorous organisms it spreads out boldly, and the teeth stand square and with space enough; whereas in subvitalized persons it remains narrow, as in the child, so that the large front teeth are crowded, or slanted forward, or thrown out of line. ”

“ Sometimes, you may remember, instead of the infected tooth in the upper jaw, let us say, being the one that hurts, it is the tooth directly below it in the lower jaw that seems to be causing the pain. ”

“ We can hardly suppose that disuse would maintain or develop the projecting chin, increase its perpendicular height till the jaw is deepest and strongest at its extremity, evolve a side flange, and enlarge [10] the upper jaw-bone to form part of a more prominent nose, while drawing back the savagely obtrusive teeth and lips to a more pleasing and subdued position of retirement and of humanized beauty. ”

“ Finally, prominent cheek-bones are objectionable because they are concomitants of the large, clumsy, brutal jaws which characterise savages and apes. To the cheek-bones the upper jaw-bone is directly attached; hence the larger the teeth are, and the more vigorously they are exercised in fighting and picking bones, the more massive must be the cheek-bones, to prevent the upper jaw from being pushed out of position. ”

“ In some non-passerine species as well as in certain passerines the muscle also serves to raise the upper jaw by acting on the quadrate, which is capable of rotating vertically on its otic process. Especially in the gapers, where resistance is offered near the tip of the lower mandible, contraction of the muscle pulls the entire mandible dorsad thus forcing the jugal and palatal struts forward (Zusi, 1959:537-539) . The action supplements that of Mm. protractor pterygoidei et quadrati and is enhanced by anterior migration of the origin of M. depressor mandibulae. ”

“ The jaws seem pinched in, just above the upper grinding teeth, and then comes this swelling. Strong teeth exist in the upper jaw, and the canine, or eye teeth, more than an inch in length, are long, slender, curved, and sharp. The front or incisor teeth are large, the middle ones being the largest, and the three grinders have sharp projections on them which are not readily worn. As the eyes are close together, the orbits are only separated by the forehead (frontal) bone and the united nose-bones (nasals) . ”

“ Now, as I observed just now, there are several tall, athletic young men about, and also there are several men who have lost teeth. But now I saw that this tall and athletic young man had lost exactly two teeth—one from the lower jaw, just to the left of the centre, and another from the upper jaw, further still toward the left! Trivialities, pointing in the same direction, became important considerations. More, his teeth were irregular throughout, and, as nearly as I could remember it, looked remarkably like this little plaster mould of mine. ”

“ As most of the women have lost the two first joints of the little finger on the left hand, so most of the men want the right front tooth in the upper jaw, and have the gristle that separates the nostrils perforated, frequently having a piece of stick or a bone thrust through, and which does not add to their beauty. ”

“ It is most likely that no vertically directed tooth would be developed in the part of the jaw so occupied by the curved bases of the incisors, and hence a diastema or toothless space would intervene between the molars and incisors of this lower jaw, as in the upper jaw of the Toxodon. ”

“ The upper jaw is constituted of a long and slender stylet, the situation of which nearly corresponds with that of the intermaxillary, while the maxillary is wanting, unless we assume that the two bones are confounded. ”

“ The two fore-teeth of their upper jaw are wanting in all of them, men and women, old and young; whether they draw them out, I know not: neither have they any beards. They are long-visaged, and of a very unpleasant aspect, having no one graceful feature in their faces. ”

“ When the second division of the nerve is affected the pain is chiefly in the cheek and upper jaw, the painful points being immediately below the lower eyelid, over the cheek bone, and about the upper lip. ”

“ Still working along the lower jaw, come right up until you can cut out, just under the eye, the top end of the return. Leaving it attached by a thin membrane 'to the upper jaw, skin downward toward the nose, and, by undercutting and using great care, completely skin up to the nostril, which sever. Do precisely the same with the other side. The nostrils being completely skinned out, the skin holds just below them. ”

“ Glasse would say, between his teeth, which are in double rows upon each jaw, and directed backward that they may act more effectually, he first brings the victim to a suitable position—head first he prefers, then, leaving one set of teeth, say the lower, fixed, he advances the upper jaw, fixes its teeth into the skin, and leaves them there while he moves forward, the lower jaw, and so continues till the bird or frog is worked into his throat ”

“ Each individual tooth, missing its best stimulus to healthy growth and vigor, firm and regular pressure and exercise against its fellow in the jaw above or below, gets a twist in its socket, wears away irregularly, and becomes an easy prey to decay, while from failure of the entire upper and lower arches of the teeth to meet squarely and press evenly and firmly against one another, the jaws fail to expand properly and the tendency to narrowing of the tooth-arches and upward vaulting of the palate is increased. ”

“ Fractures of the jaw commonly heal from the fourteenth to the twenty-first day.
“In luxations of the jaw (Chapter XII) the bone is always displaced forward; but sometimes only on one side, and sometimes on both sides. When the dislocation is only on one side, the chin and the whole jaw are found deviated toward the part opposite to the luxation; and the similar teeth of the two dental arches do not correspond; but instead under the upper incisors will be found the canine tooth of the dislocated89 part. If, however, the luxation is bilateral, the chin inclines and projects forward ”

“ The prolonged mouth-breathing imparts to adenoid patients a characteristic look in the face. The lower jaw is dropped and the lips are kept constantly apart. In many cases the upper lip is short, showing some part of the upper teeth. The dropping of the jaw draws upon the soft parts and tends to obliterate the natural folds of the face about the nose, lips, and cheeks. ”

“ In every case the teeth of the lower jaw bite within those of the upper, and, the jaws being so articulated as to allow only of up and down motion, and being incapable of play from side to side, the molars and premolars entirely lose their character of grinders, and become trenchant, cutting up the food, in fact, in precisely the same manner as a pair of scissors. ”

“ Fig. 247. Fig. 248.
Author’s Method.
In some cases the ectropion, whether partial or more or less general, is caused by protrusion of the teeth either of the upper or lower jaw; more commonly of the alveolar structure of the superior maxillary bone. In such cases a cosmetic operation on the mucosa will do [188] little to restore the deformity. Such cases should be corrected primarily by a surgeon dentist, the teeth being forced back into place by proper metal springs or splints—a tedious process requiring from six months to two years’ time. ”

“ The teeth are of a formidable description, varying much in size and length. When the mouth is closed, the tusks in the extremity of the lower jaw pass completely through and often project above the tip of the upper. ”

“ The size and rigidity of the braincase and palate, and the extent and rigidity of their contact with the skull.
The stresses applied to the cheek fall into two groups. The first includes all of those stresses that ran through and parallel to the plane of the cheek initially. The weight of the jaw and snout, the pull of the axial musculature, and the necessity to provide firm anchorage for the teeth created stresses that acted in this manner. The second group comprises those stresses that were applied initially at an oblique angle to the cheek and not parallel to its plane. ”