Faucial part of mouth

Looks like

The arched opening at the back of the mouth, bordered by the soft palate above, the tonsil arches at the sides and the tongue below.

What it does

The doorway between mouth and throat; muscles in its arches narrow it to hold food in the mouth while chewing.

Keeping it well

Sore throat usually settles in a week. A one-sided swelling pushing the uvula aside, drooling or difficulty breathing is an emergency.

Related conditions

• Bad breath (halitosis)
• Botulism
• Burning mouth syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Frailty & falls in older age
• Hand, foot and mouth disease
• Heat exhaustion & heatstroke
• Lichen planus
• Malnutrition & refeeding syndrome
• Mouth ulcers (aphthous stomatitis)
• Muscular dystrophy
• Pemphigus vulgaris
• Polymyalgia rheumatica
• Rhabdomyolysis
• Sarcoma
• Sarcopenia
• Stevens–Johnson syndrome / toxic epidermal necrolysis
• Tetanus