The lingual nerve loops under the submandibular duct, crossing first the lateral side and then the medial side of the duct, as the nerve descends anteromedially through the floor of the oral cavity and then ascends into the tongue.
The sublingual glands are the smallest of the three major paired salivary glands. Each is almond shaped and is immediately lateral to the submandibular duct and associated lingual nerve in the floor of the oral cavity (Fig. 8.265).