Muscles used to suck in cheeks

Last Updated: November 17, References Approved. This article was medically reviewed by Troy A. Miles, MD. There are 24 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Last Updated: January 20, References Approved. This article was co-authored by Danny Gordon. With over 20 years of physical training and teaching experience, he has focused his studio on semi-private personal training. There are 17 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 3,, times. Having excess weight or puffiness in your cheeks can be frustrating. Start by making changes to your diet and lifestyle.

It forms the anterior part of the cheek or the lateral wall of the oral cavity. It arises from the outer surfaces of the alveolar processes of the maxilla and mandible , corresponding to the three pairs of molar teeth and in the mandible, it is attached upon the buccinator crest posterior to the third molar ; [5] and behind, from the anterior border of the pterygomandibular raphe which separates it from the constrictor pharyngis superior. The fibers converge toward the angle of the mouth, where the central fibers intersect each other, those from below being continuous with the upper segment of the orbicularis oris , and those from above with the lower segment; the upper and lower fibers are continued forward into the corresponding lip without decussation. Motor innervation is from the buccal branch of the facial nerve cranial nerve VII.

By contracting, the muscles pull on the skin and exert their effects. They are the only group of muscles that insert into skin. These muscles have a common embryonic origin — the 2nd pharyngeal arch.