The lateral pterygoid is a muscle of mastication with two heads. The upper head originates on the infratemporal surface of the sphenoid bone, and the lower head on the lateral surface of the lateral pterygoid plate; both insert onto the pterygoid fovea under the condyloid process of the mandible. It acts to lower the mandible, open the jaw, and help the medial pterygoids in moving the jaw from side to side (mastication). It is supplied by the nerve to lateral pterygoid from the mandibular nerve. Mastication is a name for the process of breaking up of food and mixing it with saliva. ... The sphenoid bone (os sphenoidale) is a bone situated at the base of the skull in front of the temporals and basilar part of the occipital. ... This article is about the human bone. ... Mastication is a name for the process of breaking up of food and mixing it with saliva. ...
Chewing food is a complex motor function, muscles need to be powerful enough to break tough portions of food, yet have enough dexterity to not injure the tongue, and to clear the mouth completely.
The primary muscles of mastication, each of which is paired, are the temporalis, masseter, medial pterygoid and lateralpterygoid.
It is thought that feedback from proprioceptive nerves in teeth and the temporomandibular joints govern the creation of neural pathways, which in turn determine duration and force of individual muscle activation (and in some cases muscle fibre groups as in the masseter and temporalis).
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