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swallowing |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.02 sec. |
swallowingor deglutitionAct that moves food from the mouth to the stomach. The tongue pushes liquid or chewed food mixed with saliva into the pharynx. Reflex takes over as the soft palate rises to close off the nasal cavity; the larynx rises and the epiglottis covers the trachea, interrupting breathing. Pressure in the mouth and pharynx pushes food toward the esophagus, whose upper sphincter opens to let food in and closes to prevent backflow. Breathing resumes as the larynx lowers. As peristalsis pushes food to the stomach, the lower esophageal sphincter opens and then closes to prevent reflux. Painful swallowing is usually caused by inflammation; other problems are caused by blockage or disorders affecting the motions of swallowing. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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| Sleep on your back--when the spit collects back there, it triggers a swallowing reflex. 14, 1998, was especially tough on Sanchez: The left side of his face is permanently paralyzed and he lost his swallowing reflex. Spoon Dose(TM) utilizes Fuisz Technologies' proprietary microsphere technology to package drug dosages into extremely small beads that are coated to mask taste, and respond to the normal swallowing reflex when taken with or without water. |
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