Posterior superior alveolar nerve

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Nerve: Posterior superior alveolar nerve
Distribution of the maxillary and mandibular nerves, and the submaxillary ganglion. (Posterior sup. alveolar labeled at center.)
Latin	rami alveolares superiores posteriores nervi maxillaris
Gray's	subject #200 890
Innervates	maxillary sinus, molars, dental alveolus
Dorlands / Elsevier	r_02/12688688

The posterior superior alveolar branches (posterior superior dental branches) arise from the trunk of the maxillary nerve just before it enters the infraorbital groove; they are generally two in number, but sometimes arise by a single trunk.

They descend on the tuberosity of the maxilla and give off several twigs to the gums and neighboring parts of the mucous membrane of the cheek.

They then enter the posterior alveolar canals on the infratemporal surface of the maxilla, and, passing from behind forward in the substance of the bone, communicate with the middle superior alveolar nerve, and give off branches to the lining membrane of the maxillary sinus and gingival and dental branches to each molar tooth from a superior dental plexus; these branches enter the foramina at the apices of the roots of the teeth.

See also

• posterior superior alveolar artery
• anterior superior alveolar nerve

Additional images

Left maxilla. Outer surface.

External links

• Norman/Georgetown cranialnerves (V)
• Norman/Georgetown lesson9 (latnasalwall4)
• MedEd at Loyola GrossAnatomy/h_n/cn/cn1/cnb2.htm

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

v • d • e The cranial nerves: trigeminal nerve
ophthalmic (V1)	frontal: supratrochlear - supraorbital (lateral branch, medial branch) nasociliary: long ciliary - infratrochlear - posterior ethmoidal - anterior ethmoidal (external nasal, internal nasal) - sensory root of ciliary ganglion (ciliary ganglion) lacrimal
maxillary (V2)	in meninges middle meningeal in pterygopalatine fossa zygomatic (zygomaticotemporal, zygomaticofacial) - pterygopalatine (pterygopalatine ganglion see below for details) - posterior superior alveolar in infraorbital canal infraorbital nerve: superior alveolar (middle, anterior) - internal nasal branches on face inferior palpebral - external nasal - superior labial (infraorbital plexus)
mandibular (V3)	in meninges meningeal anterior to muscles of mastication (medial pterygoid/to tensor veli palatini, lateral pterygoid, masseteric, deep temporal) - buccal posterior auriculotemporal (otic ganglion) - lingual (submandibular ganglion) - inferior alveolar (mylohyoid, mental)