Infraorbital nerve

Of the Infraorbital nerve is a facial nerve. It supplies the skin between the eye and the upper lip and the upper teeth. It belongs to the 5th cranial nerve.

What is the infraorbital nerve?

The infraorbital nerve is a nerve that supplies large areas of the human face. As one of the terminal branches, it belongs to the fifth cranial nerve, the trigeminal nerve.

With all of its branches, the trigeminal nerve takes on the supply of the mucous membrane, the entire face and the masticatory muscles. Like the infraorbital nerve, it is part of the central nervous system. The infraorbital nerve supplies the skin of the cheek between the lower eyelid and the upper lip. For this reason, it is also known as the sub-eye nerve. It also innervates the teeth of the human upper jaw. He is also responsible for supplying the maxillary sinus. The infraorbital nerve is a well branched nerve.

With its branches it supplies the face of the upper and anterior region. It is one of the few nerves that can easily be felt on the skin of the face. This is possible at its exit point, the infraorbital foramen. That is the human eye hole. If the nerve becomes inflamed, the doctor will apply pressure at this point. This leads to an intense experience of pain and the making of the diagnosis.

Anatomy & structure

The trigeminal nerve runs as the 5th cranial nerve over the petrous pyramid to the dura mater. This is the meninges.It then forms the trigeminal ganglion and then forks into several branches. There are three and these are called the ophthalmic nerve, the maxillary nerve and the mandibular nerve.

As the second main branch, the maxillary nerve runs after the ganglion along the cavernous sinus. It emerges at the rotundum foramen through the base of the skull and appears in the The maxillary nerve exits below the base of the skull and appears in the pterygopalatine fossa. There the maxillary nerve divides into further branches. These are the terminal branches of the Rami ganglionares, the zygomatic nerve and the infraorbital nerve.

The infraorbital nerve enters the eye socket through the inferior orbital fissure. Then it runs forward and runs into the infraorbital canal. This is located below the eye. The infraorbital nerve continues towards the cheek to the jaw. It opens into the infraorbital foramen and branches into the superior anterior, medius and posterior alveolar branches.

Function & tasks

The infraorbital nerve has the task of supplying the human face. In particular, the skin between the lower eyelid and the upper lip is innervated by this nerve on both sides of the face. He is responsible for the transmission of all stimuli such as touch, pain or the sensation of temperature.

In addition, the infraorbital nerve supplies the maxillary sinus. This is the human maxillary sinus. The maxillary sinus is one of the sinuses. The paranasal sinuses are assigned to the respiratory system. They are filled with air and are used to regulate breathing. The maxillary sinus is a pyramidal cavity that contains the bone of the upper jaw. The teeth of the upper jaw are also located in the maxillary sinus. These are also supplied by the infraorbital nerve. Teeth are part of the chewing apparatus.

Its main task is to chop up ingested food. This is an important preliminary work of digestion. In order to guarantee this to a sufficient extent for life, the substance of the individual teeth must be preserved for as long as possible. In addition to regular cleaning of the teeth, this is done via nerve branches of the maxillary nerve, among other things. The infraorbital nerve is one of them.

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Diseases

Since the infraorbital nerve supplies large areas of the visual field, damage to the nerve usually leads to hypersensitivity of the skin region or a feeling of numbness on the cheek and upper lip. Even small touches, such as applying lotion, can become very uncomfortable if you experience strong pain.

In severe cases, attacks of pain are reported. Since the infraorbital nerve supplies the teeth of the upper jaw, an inflammation of a tooth root can lead to unbearable pain. Headaches are just as possible as migraines.

The nerves in the face can regenerate themselves. Many injuries heal completely after a few days or weeks without further treatment. This usually makes surgical intervention unnecessary. It is helpful to go easy on the skin of the face. If the nerve is severely damaged by accidents or falls, the patient can be helped with a surgical procedure with a transplant. This approach has become well established due to the successes achieved.

If the nerve is severely crushed or if nerve fibers have been stretched too much, this method is usually used. The entire nerve is often completely regenerated after the procedure. It usually takes a few months for the patient to be symptom-free.

Herpes can affect the facial nerve. This is a viral disease characterized by painful itching and blistering. There are several forms of facial herpes. The upper lip, but also the mucous membranes in the mouth, can be attacked by the virus. The disease is considered uncomfortable because the pain restricts food intake and affects social expressions such as smiling.