Pterygomandibular raphe

Looks like

A thin fibrous band inside the cheek, running from the back of the palate down to the jawbone behind the last lower molar.

What it does

Joins the cheek muscle in front to the upper throat muscle behind, so the two work as one continuous wall.

Keeping it well

Dentists use it as a landmark for numbing the lower jaw; it can be felt as a ridge when the mouth opens wide.

Related conditions

• Bad breath (halitosis)
• Burning mouth syndrome
• Hand, foot and mouth disease
• Lichen planus
• Mouth ulcers (aphthous stomatitis)
• Pemphigus vulgaris
• Stevens–Johnson syndrome / toxic epidermal necrolysis