Pterygoid process

Behind the third molar tooth lie two pterygoid processes, which extend downward from where the sphenoid bone's body meets its greater wing. Each process has a medial and a lateral pterygoid plate that join towards the front but split apart at the back, forming a V-shaped space known as the pterygoid fossa. The plates have inner (medial) and outer (lateral) surfaces and a free edge at the back, while their front edges come together to make a single, unified anterior surface. This particular surface connects to the perpendicular plate of the palatine bone medially. Laterally, it’s positioned behind the posterior part of the maxilla or the maxillary tuberosity, and it’s separated from this tuberosity by the pterygopalatine fossa and the pterygomaxillary fissure.

The posterior border of the medial pterygoid plate splits into two branches at the top, surrounding a triangular depression called the scaphoid fossa. At the base, the posterior border curves outwards to create the pterygoid hamulus. Additionally, the outer surface of the lateral pterygoid plate acts as the inside boundary of the infratemporal fossa. Both plates serve as points of attachment for several muscles and fasciae.