mastication
1
7.7
- noun
- /ˌmæstəˈkeɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
masticación
- A mouth guard (night guard) is an acrylic custom-made appliance that can help to relax your mastication muscles, providing more comfort.
Examples
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Mastication is important for digestion because it breaks food into smaller pieces during mastication.
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Neither the lump's size nor the associated pain changed during mastication.
Academic text (2009) -
The first arch also gives rise to the muscles of mastication.
Academic text (2006) -
Amid the sounds of utensils and dishes and mastication, you hear the muffled ring of the mobile phone in your friend's pocket.
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Symptoms include painful mastication, clicking, trismus, malocclusion, and deep pain in the joint.
Academic text (2003) -
Oral dryness can affect denture retention, mastication, and swallowing.
Academic text (1999) -
Accompanying adaptations included the bowing of the zygomatic arch to accommodate the larger masseter and the increased complexity of the postcanine teeth for mastication.
Academic text (2003) -
The muscle fibers that constituted the deep masseter, which grew off anteriorly to relieve the stress on the jaw joint, were ideally suited for mastication and better jaw control.
Academic text (2003) -
Children should learn proper mastication techniques to enjoy their meals fully.
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Good mastication helps to mix food with saliva, making swallowing easier.
Synonyms
45
1.0
The action of biting and grinding food with your teeth before swallowing
5
5.1
Loud chewing of food using strong bites
2
1.0
Biting and grinding food in the mouth to make it soft enough to swallow
The act of biting and grinding food in the mouth to make it soft enough to swallow
How Thorough
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word mastication comes from the Latin verb masticare, which means 'to chew'. A helpful way to remember it is that mastication is the formal name for the chewing and grinding your teeth do to make food ready to swallow.