Maxilla

Description

Lateral skull anatomy centers on the maxilla (blue), extending from the alveolar process that houses the maxillary teeth posteriorly toward the maxillary tuberosity and anteriorly to the frontal process beside the piriform aperture. Superiorly, the maxilla contributes to the inferior orbital rim and the orbital floor, sitting inferior to the nasal bones highlighted at the bridge of the nose and anterior to the zygomatic bone at the zygomaticomaxillary junction. Medially, its palatine process forms the anterior hard palate and the lateral wall of the nasal cavity, while the mandible lies inferior and slightly posterior, defining the dental occlusion in profile. Sutural boundaries with the frontal, nasal, zygomatic, and palatine bones are readable in this projection. Fracture patterns and surgical access make this view matter. Le Fort I and II fractures track through the maxilla and nasal region, and a lateral perspective clarifies how the maxillary buttresses relate to the orbital floor and nasal skeleton, which guides open reduction and internal fixation planning. The maxillary sinus occupies much of the maxillary body, so dental root proximity to the sinus floor, oroantral communication after extraction, and sinus lift procedures can be taught cleanly from the relationship between the alveolar process and the midface. Watch the infraorbital canal region. Use it in head and neck anatomy labs, dental anatomy modules, and oral and maxillofacial surgery teaching where learners need the maxilla’s contributions to the orbit, nasal cavity, and palate without the visual clutter of an anterior cranial view. It also fits radiology and trauma publications discussing midface injury lines and preoperative mapping for maxillary osteotomies. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.