Marked differences may be noted in the newborn |skull| as compared to that of an adult. The newborn |skull| comprises much more of the percentage of the body than in the adult human. Additionally, the newborn's |skull| has no |teeth| erupted (grown out of the |maxilla| or |mandible|), as has the typical adult. Because of this, the dental arcade, with the jawbone and palate, form a smaller percentage of the overall |skull| size than in the adult |skull|. Furthermore, the newborn |skull|'s bones are not rigidly sutured together, but are connected instead by flexible, cartilaginous membranes, called ~fontanelles~. These ~fontanelles~ allow the bones of the newborn's |skull| to deform somewhat during birth, facilitating passage through the birth canal. The bones become sutured typically within the first year after birth.
