Motion Specific Release

Chewing asks the jaw to generate force, guide food between the teeth, and repeat the movement many times. Opening the mouth to yawn places a different demand on the same system. The masseter, temporalis, medial pterygoid, and lateral pterygoid coordinate these actions across two temporomandibular joints. Their attachments and fibre directions help explain how the mandible closes, advances, retracts, and moves from side to side.