Anterior superior alveolar nerve

"anterior superior alveolar branch" redirects here. For artery, see Anterior superior alveolar arteries.

Anterior superior alveolar nerve
Distribution of the maxillary and mandibular nerves, and the submaxillary ganglion.
Alveolar branches of superior maxillary nerve and sphenopalatine ganglion.
Details
Latin	rami alveolares superiores anteriores nervi maxillaris, ramus alveolaris superior anteriores
Innervates	dental alveolus
Identifiers
Dorlands /Elsevier	r_02/12688674
TA
TH	{{#property:P1694}}
TE	{{#property:P1693}}
FMA	{{#property:P1402}}
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [[[d:|edit on Wikidata]]]

The anterior superior alveolar branch (anterior superior dental branch), of considerable size, is given off from the maxillary nerve (the second branch of the trigeminal nerve or cranial nerve V, abbreviated V₂) just before its exit from the infraorbital foramen; it descends in a canal in the anterior wall of the maxillary sinus, and divides into branches which supply the incisor and canine teeth.

It communicates with the middle superior alveolar branch, and gives off a nasal branch, which passes through a minute canal in the lateral wall of the inferior meatus, and supplies the mucous membrane of the anterior part of the inferior meatus and the floor of the nasal cavity, communicating with the nasal branches from the sphenopalatine ganglion.

Dental considerations for this nerve are important. The anterior superior alveolar usually innervates all anterior teeth, loops backwards to join the middle superior alveolar nerve to form the superior dental plexus.

See also

• anterior superior alveolar arteries
• posterior superior alveolar nerve

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

External links

• MedEd at Loyola GrossAnatomy/h_n/cn/cn1/cnb2.htm
• cranialnerves at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (V)