The masseter muscle is lateral to the ramus of the mandible.
The masseter muscle is the chewing muscle covering the angle of the mandible. During bilateral contraction, the muscle elevates the mandible, raising the lower jaw.
the masseter muscle
The antagonist for the mandible is the temporalis muscle. It is responsible for closing the jaw while the mandible is involved in opening the jaw.
The insertion of the temporalis muscle is on the coronoid process of the mandible.
Temporalis
External
chewing
Platysma
The masseter IS the functional muscle which closes the mandible (jaw).
The lateral pterygoid muscle has a triangular shape, with two heads; superior and inferior. It has horizontally orientated muscle fibers, and is the major protractor of the mandible.
In the face begining at the mandible