The facial bones are a group of bones that make up the skeleton of the face. Humans have 14 facial bones, which, along with the eight bones of the neurocranium or braincase, form the skull. The facial bones consist of a single mandible and vomer, and pairs of maxillary, zygomatic, nasal, lacrimal, and palatine bones. In addition to forming the basic structure of the face, they create cavities at the locations of the sense organs necessary for seeing, smelling, and tasting. They also allow for the intake of food and air, and anchor the teeth and muscles of the face.

The mandible, or lower jawbone, at the base of the facial skeleton, is responsible for the motion of chewing. The mandible is the strongest and largest of the facial bones. It is also the only facial bone that has a significant range of motion, necessary in this case for chewing. This is due to two temporomandibular joints, which raise the mandible and the teeth it holds. After the thin nasal bones, the mandible is the second most commonly injured bone of the face.

The two maxillary bones make up the upper jaw and the central portion of the facial skeleton. These bones are joined to all the other facial bones excluding the mandible. Like the mandible, they have an alveolar margin that connects with the tooth sockets. The maxillary bones connect to the upper teeth and the mandible to the lower.

The zygomatic bones, commonly called the cheek bones, form joints with the temporal bones of the braincase. They also form a lower portion of the eye sockets and are responsible for the raised portion of the cheeks. Next to the cheek bones are the nasal bones. These bones join with the cartilage that forms the outer nose. The nasal bones are the most commonly injured facial bones.

The lacrimal bones are situated in the inner portion of the eye sockets. They form part of a structure that holds the lacrimal sac, which allows tears to flow into the nasal cavity. The palatine bones are two small bones located behind the maxillary bones. The vomer is located in the nasal cavity. This small, solitary bone makes up the lower part of the septum of the nose.

The facial bones also create special structures, called orbits, that hold each of the eyes and the eye muscles. Each orbit is created by parts of each facial bone, excluding the mandible. The nasal cavity is formed by parts of the maxillary and palatine bones as well as cartilage.