The muscles above the hyoid
Suprahyoid muscles (geniohyoid, mylohyoid, stylohyoid)
Muscles under your chin that lift the hyoid bone when you swallow.
What it does
Between the jaw and the hyoid bone, a group of muscles forms the floor of the mouth. They pull the hyoid bone and voice box upward and forward when you swallow, and help open the jaw against resistance.
Surprising fact
The mylohyoid forms a muscular sling across the floor of your mouth that your tongue rests on.
Why it matters
Swallowing depends on these muscles lifting the voice box so that food passes safely into the oesophagus, which is why speech therapists train them in people with swallowing problems.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.