Swallowing

From a side view of the head, this animation shows the step-by-step process and mechanism of chewing and swallowing a piece of celery.

The structures involved with the process of swallowing include the tongue, teeth, epiglottis, and esophagus.

The teeth are used to grind and chop up food into tiny pieces, while the glands in the mouth moisten the food with saliva. In the first stage of swallowing, the tongue pushes the food into the throat. In the second stage of swallowing, an important small flap of tissue called the epiglottis, folds over the voice box (larynx) at the entrance to the windpipe (trachea), preventing food from going down the wrong way. In the final stage, the esophagus contracts and moves food toward the stomach.

Reviewed last on: 10/10/2008
Christian Stone, M.D., Division of Gastroenterology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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