Function
The mouth has many important functions. It plays a major role in breathing, eating, tasting and speaking out. It also plays a significant role in facial expressions and, apart from the eyes, is one of the most expressive parts of the face.
The mouth is important for the absorption and comminution of food. It is the entrance to the upper digestive tract. The teeth crush and grind the food that is taken in and the enzymes released from the salivary glands start to decompose the food.
The food pulp is then transported further towards the throat via the tongue. The tongue has several important functions. In addition to the transport of food, it is important for tasting, touching, swallowing and also for the formation of speech.
It is an elongated muscular organ covered by a mucous membrane. The taste buds, which are arranged all over the back of the tongue, but are mainly located on the lateral edges and at the back of the tongue, allow the different tastes sweet, bitter, salty, sour and umami to be perceived. In conjunction with the nose and larynx, the mouth is important for the formation and shaping of the voice.
The lips also have an important function. Their skin is very sensitive and irritable and they form an erogenous zone. When kissing, the stimuli are passed on to the brain, which releases certain messenger substances that can trigger feelings of happiness and desire.
Mouth diseases
Many different diseases can develop in the mouth. Among the most important are inflammations of the oral mucosa, pathological process of the teeth or tumors of the oral cavity.The most common diseases are inflammatory processes affecting the oral mucosa such as aphthae, oral thrush, gingivitis or lip herpes. Aphthae are inflammatory, painful changes in the oral mucosa that often recur.
The exact cause of their development is not known. Allergic factors, small injuries, infections or a lack of vitamins and minerals are seen as possible triggers. The aphthae show up as round mucous membrane ulcers, which are yellow-white in color and surrounded by a reddish area.
They can be very painful, especially in contact with foods that contain a lot of acid. Small aphthae can combine to form a large inflammatory ulcer, which is very painful and can also restrict chewing and swallowing. One speaks of three different forms.
The minor type is most common with mucous membrane ulcers in the front part of the tongue, which are a few millimeters in size. In the major type, few ulcers develop, but they are larger than 1 cm, penetrate deep into the tissue and can be accompanied by swelling of the lymph nodes. The herpetiform type is rather rare and is characterized by many small foci, which in their arrangement look like herpes. For treatment it is important to spare the affected areas and to use a mouthwash to relieve the pain.
