How is nose connected to mouth

Call Today: Make An Appointment. Naveen Bhandarkar, M. Roger L. Crumley M. Hamid Djalilian, M. Harrison Lin, M. Sunil Verma, M. Brian J. Wong, M. Victor Passy, M. Tjoson Tjoa, M. Edward Kuan, M. Yarah Haidar, M. Douglas Trask, M. PhD Hamid Djalilian, M. The inner part of the nose is above the roof of the mouth. The nose is made up of:. Made up mainly of cartilage and bone and covered by mucous membranes. The cartilage also gives shape and support to the outer part of the nose.

Nasal passages. Passages that are lined with mucous membranes and tiny hairs cilia that help to filter the air. The sinuses are cavities, or air-filled pockets, near the nasal passage. As in the nasal passage, the sinuses are lined with mucous membranes. There are 4 different types of sinuses:. Ethmoid sinus. This sinus is located inside the face, around the area of the bridge of the nose.

It is present at birth, and continues to grow. The mouth The mouth oral cavity includes the: lips tongue front two-thirds floor of the mouth inside the cheek roof of the mouth the hard palate area behind the wisdom teeth upper and lower gums.

The most common places for mouth cancer to develop are on the floor of the mouth and side of the tongue. The tongue The tongue has two parts see diagram above. The throat pharynx The throat is divided into three main parts: Nasopharynx This is the upper part of the pharynx behind the nose.

Cancer that develops here is called nasopharyngeal cancer. Oropharynx This is the middle part of the pharynx behind the mouth. It includes the soft part of the roof of the mouth soft palate , the base or the back of the tongue part you cannot see , the tonsils and the side walls of the throat. The most common places for oropharyngeal cancer to develop are on the tonsils and the base of the tongue. Hypopharynx This is the lower part of the pharynx behind the voice box. Cancers that develop here are called hypopharyngeal cancers.

The nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses The space inside the nose is called the nasal cavity. This space warms, moistens and filters air as you breathe in. The bones around the nasal cavity have small hollow spaces in them called paranasal sinuses. These sinuses affect the sound and tone of your voice. Cancer that starts inside the nose or paranasal sinuses is called nasal and sinus cancer. The salivary glands The salivary glands make saliva spit. The biggest pairs of salivary glands are: parotid glands, which are at the sides of the mouth, just in front of the ears submandibular glands, which are under each side of the jawbone sublingual glands, which are under the floor or the mouth and below each side of the tongue.

The ears The middle ear is made up of the eardrum and a cavity called the tympanum.