THE MAXILLAllY NERVES. 39 



maxillary bone, the inferior dental nerve emerges from the 

 bone by the mental foramen, near to the end of the roots of 

 the bicuspid teeth. Pain due to distant causes is often 

 referred to the point of emergence of a nerve, as is so 

 frequently exemplified in supraorbital neuralgia; in the 

 same way pain due to diseased teeth far back in the lower 

 jaw (especially to wisdom teeth), is frequently referred to 

 the bicuspid region. Curiously enough, though there is no 

 apparent close parallel in the disposition of the nerves, a 

 similar reference of pain to the bicuspid region is occasionally 

 observed in the upper jaw. And it may be added that there 

 is very probably some closer parallel in the minute disposi- 

 tion of the nerve fibres going to the teeth in the upper and 

 lower jaws than is recognisable by rough anatomical pro- 

 cesses, for while, to all appearance, the nerve trunks are 

 differently arranged, it is a matter of almost everyday ob- 

 servation to find pain due to one tooth referred with pre- 

 cision to its fellow in the other jaw. 



The lower teeth derive their vascular supply from the 

 branches given off to each tooth by the inferior dental artery, 

 itself a branch of the internal maxillary ; the upper teeth 

 derive their arteries from the superior dental, a part of 

 the alveolar branch of the internal maxillary, which supplies 

 the molar and bicuspid teeth ; and the front teeth from the 

 descending branch of the infraorbital, the vessels thus having 

 an arrangement somewhat analogous to that of the nerves. 



The distribution of the veins corresponds closely to that 

 of the arteries. 



No lymphatics have been traced into the teeth. 



TOMES, J. Lectures on Dental Physiology and Surgery. 1848. 

 HARBISON ALLEN. Anatomy of the Facial Region, Dental Cosmos. 



1874. 



CATTLIN. Anatomy of Antrum. Trans. Odontological Society, 

 1857. 



