The primary muscle that allows you to kiss is the orbicularis oris. This muscle, often called the "kissing muscle," surrounds your mouth and forms your lips. Its action of contracting allows you to pucker and close your lips.
Understanding the Orbicularis Oris Muscle
The orbicularis oris muscle is a complex structure, composed of multiple fibers from various surrounding facial muscles. Its intricate arrangement enables a wide range of lip movements, including pursing, kissing, whistling, and speaking.
- Function: The orbicularis oris's main function is to close the mouth and protrude the lips. This is crucial for actions like kissing, whistling, and sucking.
- Innervation: It's innervated by the buccal branch of the cranial nerve VII (facial nerve). This nerve controls most facial expressions.
- Clinical Significance: Weakness or paralysis of the orbicularis oris, often resulting from facial nerve damage, can significantly impair lip function and facial expressions.
Other muscles contribute to the overall expression and movement during a kiss. However, the orbicularis oris is the central player enabling the characteristic lip pucker.
While other facial muscles assist in various aspects of kissing – such as the buccinator muscle which helps to control air pressure within the cheeks – the orbicularis oris remains the primary muscle responsible for the lip closure and puckering action.
References support this:
- Wikipedia: Orbicularis oris muscle - Wikipedia states that the orbicularis oris is "sometimes known as the kissing muscle because it is used to pucker the lips."
- Study.com: Orbicularis Oris Muscle | Definition, Function & Location | Study.com describes the orbicularis oris as the "kissing muscle" that enables lip pursing.
- Colgate: What Is The Buccinator Muscle? mentions facial expression muscles allowing nonverbal communication, including kissing.
