Jaw and TMJ Anatomy
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All mammals have two maxillas (or maxillae) and two mandibles. The adjective “maxillary” is often used in a wider sense, e.g., “maxillary fractures”, to include other facial bones, in addition to the maxillary bone proper.
References:
Anonymous. Nomina anatomica veterinaria. 4th ed. Zurich and Ithaca: World Association of Veterinary Anatomists, 1994. Evans HE. The skull. In: Evans HE, ed. Miller’s anatomy of the dog. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders, 1993;128-166. Hildebrand M. Analysis of vertebrate structure. 4th ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1995. Nickel R, Schummer A, Seiferle E, et al. Teeth, general and comparative. In: The viscera of domestic mammals. 1st ed. Berlin: Verlag Paul Parey, 1973;75-99. Verstraete FJM. Maxillofacial fractures. In: Slatter DH, ed. Textbook of small animal surgery. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co, 2003;2190-2207.
Incisive Bones:
In domestic animals, the correct name for the paired bones that carry the maxillary incisors, located rostral to the maxillary bones, is the incisive bones, not the premaxilla.
Reference(s): Anonymous. Nomina anatomica veterinaria. 4th ed. Zurich and Ithaca: World Association of Veterinary Anatomists, 1994.