Muscle · Head

Depressor septi

Musculus depressor septi nasi

A short slip of muscle hidden between the upper lip and the gum, running from the socket of the front tooth up into the partition of the nose and the back of the nostril wing. It pulls the tip of the nose downward and narrows the nostril. It is the reason the tip of the nose dips when some people smile broadly — the muscle is tensioned from below by the movement of the upper lip. Often regarded as a deep part of the nostril muscle rather than an independent muscle, and it is variable enough that it is absent in some people.