Introduction 2 – Facial Buttresses

Summary

• In addition to thinking of the mid-face as a collection of subunits, it can also be understood as a network or buttresses that transmit lines of force through the face
• It is important to be familiar with the three vertical buttresses of the mid-face, which stabilize the hard palate during mastication and play a role in defining Le Fort and NOE fractures
  • Nasomaxillary buttress (aka medial maxillary buttress)
  • Zygomaticomaxillary buttress (aka lateral maxillary buttress)
  • Pterygomaxillary buttress (aka posterior maxillary buttress)