Facial Bones - Viscerocranium

The facial skeleton consists of six paired bones and two bones that are single bones for a total of 14. These bones are not involved with surrounding and protecting the brain but rather surround the openings for the proximal structures of the digestive and respiratory systems. These bones are the most important ones in dentistry since the mandible and maxilla house the teeth and the mandible is the moving bone in the jaw. In addition, the attachment points for many important muscles are found facial bones.