Palate is the anatomical name for the roof of the mouth, firm toward the front and softer toward the back.

In kid words

"Your palate is the roof of your mouth, the part way up top that your tongue can touch." Tap your tongue right behind your front teeth and you will feel a little ridge. That is the front of your palate, and it turns softer the further back it goes, all the way to the part that helps you swallow.

The parent version

Palate is the anatomical name for the roof of the mouth, the structure separating the mouth from the nasal passage above it. It has two parts. The hard palate sits toward the front, formed by bone beneath a firm layer of tissue, and the soft palate sits toward the back, made of muscle and softer tissue that flexes during swallowing and speech.

Mainstream dental sources describe the palate as doing double duty: it gives the tongue a firm surface to press against for certain sounds, and it forms the ceiling the tongue and food move against during chewing and swallowing. Every child's mouth is shaped a little differently, and what counts as typical varies. Ask your pediatric dentist about anything that looks unusual to you.

Where you might hear it at our office

The palate gets a look at every comprehensive exam, part of what your pediatric dentist checks alongside the gums, tongue and cheeks at each routine visit. It is a quick, ordinary part of looking at the whole mouth, not a sign that anything specific is being investigated.

Any other word that came home from an appointment can be looked up in the rest of the Kids' Dental Dictionary, one entry at a time.

Related words

Maxilla. Gingiva. Tongue.