This woman had wire removed from her small intestine 10 years after her braces were removed
Many of us experienced the horror and pain associated with braces, and not that we want to summon bad memories, but this braces story is absolutely insane. CNN reported that a piece of dental braces was removed from a woman’s intestine…10 years after her braces were removed (!!!). Let’s just let that sink in for a moment.
Okay. So the woman, who is now 30, turned up at the ER at an Australian hospital complaining of abdominal pain and cramping. Not like period cramping — much more severe. The doctors thought it has something to do with her gallbladder, so they treated her for the believed issue and sent her on her way. But the pain persisted.
During the second ER visit (when the pain was worse), they performed a CT scan that revealed an object in her intestine.
At first they thought it was a fish bone…and it had pierced her intestine in multiple areas, causing a condition that required immediate surgery. That surgery resulted in the doctors finding the wire.
It was seven centimeters long! (That’s almost three inches)/
If you’re wondering how a person could swallow such a long piece of wire and not remember, or even how that wire could become detached from a set of braces in the first place…those are good questions.
Also, how did she not notice a huge chunk of the wire missing from her mouth? At the very least, wouldn’t the orthodontist notice when she went for her check up? Apparently not.
Anyway, the woman is recovering well and the wire hasn’t made any lasting damage in her stomach. Phew.
And if you’re currently wearing braces, don’t worry! This is NOT common.
All the doctors recognized it as very unusual. But it’s definitely the strangest thing we’ve heard all week.
