3 Stages of Swallowing

3 Stages of Swallowing

Did you know swallowing is a complex function? Swallowing occurs in a series of sequential steps including the oral phase, pharyngeal phase and the esophageal phase. These are the “3 stages of swallowing”. First, the oral phase (what happens in the mouth) focusing on chewing the food, moving it around in your mouth and forming the food into a bolus or a ball in order to swallow. Second, the pharyngeal phase beginning when you start to push the food/liquid from the far back mouth to the throat also including the food/liquid traveling down the throat. Third, the esophageal phase initiating once the food or liquid begins to travel through the esophagus (a hollow tube that carries food from your throat to your stomach).

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