The fossa incisiva is an opening in the bone of the oral hard palate where blood vessels and nerves may pass. There are four of these openings in the incisive fossa.

Formation

When the two maxillæ are articulated, a funnel-shaped opening, the incisive foramen, is seen in the middle line, immediately behind the incisor teeth.

Location

Continuous with the incisive canal, this foramen or group of foramina are located posterior to the central incisor teeth in the incisive fossa of the maxilla.

Innervation

The incisive foramen receives the nasopalatine nerves from the floor of the nasal cavity along with the sphenopalatine artery

Sphenopalatine artery

The sphenopalatine artery is an artery of the head, commonly known as the artery of epistaxis.-Course:The sphenopalatine artery is a branch of the maxillary artery which passes through the sphenopalatine foramen into the cavity of the nose, at the back part of the superior meatus...

 supplying the oral mucosa covering the hard palate

Palate

The palate is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but, in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly separate. The palate is divided into two parts, the anterior...

of the mouth

External links

• Photo at UNC.edu