Question

What are the muscles involved in biting and chewing an apple?

Answer 1

This is not as simple as eating an apple...
Let's see what goes on in our mouth when we eat an apple...

Explanation:

First of all, this action is performed by various muscles.

• When we open and close our lips then levator labii superioris(muscle mostly used in facial expression) and orbicularis oris (when it contracts, it closes the lips and crinkles the face) muscles are involved.
• When we open the mouth for chewing then digastric muscle(it is present below the mandible. And it raises the hyoid bone when it contracts) and mylohyoid muscle(it forms the floor of the buccal cavity and elevates the hyoid and the tongue, aslo depresses mandible) are involved.
• When we close our mouth and chew then masseter(as the name represents, it is vital for mastication. It elevates the mandible, closing jaws) , temporalis(basically involved in mastication) , and pterygoids(It is also involved in chewing) perform the necessary function.
  A muscle, Buccinator keeps the food in teeth grinding area during chewing.
• And ofcourse muscles of the tongue i.e genioglossus , hypoglossus , and styloglossus are involved in the process.