The buccinator is a muscle of the cheek. It is responsible for compressing
the cheek and is important in mastication.
The points of origin and insertion, and the action of the buccinator
muscle are tabulated below:
Origin |
Insertion |
Action |
Maxilla and mandible |
Orbicularis Oris |
Presses the teeth against the teeth and lips, facilitating
actions such as blowing, sucking, and whistling. Also assists
with mastication (chewing). |
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This is one of the muscles of the head, neck, and face that is included
on the syllabus of many courses in Indian
Head Massage. As this is an increasingly popular therapy we have
added several revision pages that may be helpful to students of Indian
Head Massage. See for example, the page about Skeletal
Structures of the Head and Neck.
See the Revision page about Facial
Muscles to view the location
of the buccinator muscle.
Note that this page consists of an interactive (rather than a simply
labelled) diagram, so you'll have to test yourself by guessing which
muscle is the buccinator until you find the correct label. It's a
fun way to learn ! |
