Bone · Head

Nasal bone

Os nasale

The two small oblong bones that form the bridge of the nose, meeting each other on the midline, joined to the frontal bone above and to the upper jaw on either side. With the frontal process of the upper jaw on either side of them they make up the whole bony framework of the nose, covering roughly its upper third; everything below — the part that bends when you press it — is cartilage. Their lower edges are where the upper nasal cartilages hang, so the nose is a rigid frame at the top with a flexible tip suspended from it. Run a finger down the bridge and the point where hard becomes springy is the lower border of these bones.