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The Hidden Hero of Saliva: Why Is This Nerve So Important to Oral Health?
In our oral health, a key nerve is often ignored-the tympanic chord (Chorda tympani). This nerve is not only responsible for the transmission of taste, but also for the function of saliva secretion. This article will delve into the structure and function of this nerve and reveal its role in oral health.
Structure
The tympanic chord is part of the facial nerve, responsible for transmitting taste sensations in the anterior tongue and parasympathetic secretory nerves to the mandible and sublingual salivary glands. The nerve fibers of the tympanic chord originate from the pons of the brainstem, travel along the intracranial structures, pass through the temporal bones and middle ear, and finally reach the mouth.
The nerve fibers of the tympanic chord follow the lingual nerve to the anterior 2/3 of the tongue and the mandibular ganglion.
Function
The tympanic string is mainly responsible for the transmission of two types of nerve fibers. First, there are special sensory fibers that transmit taste information from the front 2/3 of the tongue; second, there are presympathetic nerve fibers that lead to the mandibular ganglion to control saliva secretion from the mandibular gland and sublingual gland.
When stimulated, these nerve fibers can cause blood vessels to dilate and increase blood flow to the tongue.
Taste
The chorda tympanum is one of three cranial nerves involved in taste. The taste system consists of complex feedback loops that allow each nerve to inhibit signals from other nerves. Studies have shown that the tympanic strings are most responsive to sodium chloride and less responsive to quinine and hydrochloric acid.
The tympanic string recognizes sodium chloride by sensitive aminosteroid sodium channels, and these channels are functional in adult rats but not in neonatal mice.
Resection of tympanic membrane chords
When the tympanic chord is removed, the sense of taste is diminished or distorted, affecting the front two-thirds of the tongue, while the back third of the tongue (supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve) remains intact. If removed at an early age, it is difficult for the associated taste buds to fully recover. This phenomenon indicates that the plasticity of the tympanic membrane string is not strong in early childhood.
Dysfunctional
Injury to the chorda tympanic nerve may result in loss or distortion of taste in the first 2/3 of the tongue. When its function is affected, signals from other taste nerves may become more pronounced because the inhibitory effect of the tympanic string is weakened.
This shows the importance of the tympanic string in oral taste and health, especially its inhibitory function on other nerves.
Summary
The tympanic cord, the nerve that plays a key role in saliva production and taste, is undoubtedly the hidden hero of oral health. As our understanding of the nerves in this area increases, should we pay more attention to the health of these nerves that work silently in the mouth?
