during certain dental procedures. Table 3-5 lists the three major salivary glands.
MASTICATION AND DEGLUTITION The mastication process includes the biting and tearing of food into manageable pieces. This usually involves using the incisors and cuspid teeth. The grinding of food is usually performed by the molars and premolars. During the mastication process, food is moistened and mixed with saliva. Deglutition is the swallowing of food and involves a complex and coordinated process. It is divided into three phases; the first phase of swallowing is voluntarily; phases two and three are involuntary. Phase one: the collection and swallowing of masticated food. Phase two: passage of food through the pharynx into the beginning of the esophagus. Phase three: the passage of food into the stomach.
Table 3-5.—List of the Three Major Salivary Glands
| Gland | Location | Duct | Description |
| Sublingual | On each side underneath the tongue, in the floor of the mouth | Multiple separate ducts | Smallest of salivary glands, secretes, thick stringy mucus. |
| Submandibular | Posterior portion of mandible, lingual to mandibular incisors | Opens under the tongue, close to the frenulum | Walnut sized. Secretes watery fluid with some mucus. More viscous (thick) than parotid secretion. |
| Parotid | Inside cheek, opposite maxillary second molar | Parotid ducts go through the buccinator muscles and enter the mouth opposite maxillary second molars | Largest of salivary glands. Secretes clear watery fluid. |