Mouth muscles How They Work Jaw Muscles (Masseter & Temporalis): Control opening, closing, and side-to-side movement for chewing and biting, connecting your jawbone to your skull. Tongue Muscles: A complex group allowing for speech articulation, swallowing (propelling food), and taste, moving in all directions. Lip/Cheek Muscles: Create shapes for sounds (like 'p', 'b', 'f') and expressions (smiling, frowning), pulling lips in, out, or wide. Coordination: Your brain sends signals to these muscle