The buccal branches of the

facial nerve The facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve, cranial nerve VII, or simply CN VII, is a cranial nerve that emerges from the pons of the brainstem, controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of tas ...

(infraorbital branches), are of larger size than the rest of the branches, pass horizontally forward to be distributed below the

orbit In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as a p ...

and around the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

Branches

The ''superficial branches'' run beneath the

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...

and above the superficial muscles of the face, which they supply: some are distributed to the

procerus The procerus muscle (or pyramidalis nasi) is a small pyramidal slip of muscle deep to the superior orbital nerve, artery and vein. ''Procerus'' is Latin, meaning tall or extended. Structure The procerus muscle arises by tendinous fibers from t ...

, joining at the medial angle of the orbit with the

infratrochlear The infratrochlear nerve is a branch of the nasociliary nerve, itself a branch of the ophthalmic nerve. Structure The nasociliary nerve terminates by bifurcating into the infratrochlear and the anterior ethmoidal nerves. The infratrochlear ne ...

and nasociliary branches of the ophthalmic. The ''deep branches'' pass beneath the zygomaticus and the

quadratus labii superioris The levator labii superioris (pl. ''levatores labii superioris'', also called quadratus labii superioris, pl. ''quadrati labii superioris'') is a muscle of the human body used in facial expression. It is a broad sheet, the origin of which exten ...

, supplying them and forming an

infraorbital plexus The superior labial branches descend behind the Quadratus labii superioris, and are distributed to the skin of the upper lip, the mucous membrane of the mouth, and labial glands. They are joined, immediately beneath the orbit, by filaments from the ...

with the infraorbital branch of the

maxillary nerve In neuroanatomy, the maxillary nerve (V) is one of the three branches or divisions of the trigeminal nerve, the fifth (CN V) cranial nerve. It comprises the principal functions of sensation from the maxilla, nasal cavity, sinuses, the palate a ...

. These branches also supply the small muscles of the

nose A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes th ...

. The ''lower deep branches'' supply the

buccinator The buccinator () is a thin quadrilateral muscle occupying the interval between the maxilla and the mandible at the side of the face. It forms the anterior part of the cheek or the lateral wall of the oral cavity.Illustrated Anatomy of the Head ...

and

orbicularis oris In human anatomy, the orbicularis oris muscle is a complex of muscles in the lips that encircles the mouth. It is a sphincter, or circular muscle, but it is actually composed of four independent quadrants that interlace and give only an appearance ...

, and join with filaments of the

buccinator branch The buccal nerve (long buccal nerve) is a nerve in the face. It is a branch of the mandibular nerve (which is itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve) and transmits sensory information from skin over the buccal membrane (in general, the cheek) an ...

of the

mandibular nerve In neuroanatomy, the mandibular nerve (V) is the largest of the three divisions of the trigeminal nerve, the fifth cranial nerve (CN V). Unlike the other divisions of the trigeminal nerve (ophthalmic nerve, maxillary nerve) which contain only aff ...

Muscles of facial expression

The facial nerve innervates the muscles of facial expression. The buccal branch supplies these muscles

Testing the nerve

• Puff up cheeks (buccinator) i. Tap with finger over each cheek to detect ease of air expulsion on the affected side • Smile and show teeth (orbicularis oris)

Additional images

Image:Lateral head anatomy detail.jpg, Lateral head anatomy detail File:Slide1BAB.JPG, Lateral head anatomy detail.Dissection the newborn

References

External links