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Help! I Swallowed My Braces Bracket

Home Orthodontics, Braces, & InvisalignHelp! I Swallowed My Braces Bracket
help i swallowed my braces bracket

Help! I Swallowed My Braces Bracket

September 12, 2017 Orthodontics, Braces, & Invisalign
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“Help! I swallowed my braces bracket.” Not something you hear everyday, but a concern that we hear from many people when they start their orthodontic treatment.  

You may have even seen the recent story about a woman in Australia who had a piece of orthodontic wire removed from her intestine 10 years after having her braces removed.

That’s enough to make anyone just a little paranoid about accidentally swallowing a piece of their braces.

Fortunately, this is one of those things that’s easier said than done. The odds of accidentally swallowing a piece of your braces is rare, but it’s important to know how to handle it if you do.

How Swallowing Part of Your Braces Happens

There are several ways that braces brackets or wires can break off in the mouth. If you are trying to adjust a loose bracket on your own, you may knock it loose and swallow it before you know what happened.

Swallowing may also happen as a result of a dental trauma that occurs while you are wearing braces. In this case, you will likely need to consult your dentist and/or orthodontist for emergency services following the injury. 1st Family Dental has staff on call 24/7 to assist patients in emergency situations.

On rare occasions, brackets can be mishandled while you are in the orthodontist’s chair having your braces adjusted or replaced. If this would happen to you, the orthodontist is right there to assist in whatever way needed.

The risk for accidental swallowing doesn’t just apply to braces. Patients swallow temporary crowns, metal fillings, and other dental related objects. The same rules for whether to seek medical help apply in all cases.

Don’t Panic if You Swallow Part of Your Braces

Swallowing a braces bracket or wire might seem like a dire situation, but it’s not that serious in most cases, according to 1st Family Dental’s Dr. Budi Kusnoto.

Kusnoto said that the metal will move through the body on its own in more than 90 percent of cases. The human GI tract has enough acidity to dissolve small pieces of metal within minutes.

Anything that remains will be excreted in a day or so after swallowing. Eating foods that are high in fiber like corn and bread can help with this process.

“As long as it doesn’t get dislodged in the lung, most of the time it will pass right through,” Kusnoto said. “Especially if it’s unsharpened small metal such as one piece of orthodontic braces.”

The human GI tract has acidity of  1.5 – 4.0 on  the pH scale. This is the part of the body where “predigestion” occurs and the stomach uses hydrochloric acid and pepsin to break down food. A swallowed braces bracket or wire would become part of this process.

When to Seek Help

If you swallow a bracket, wire, or rubber band and notice that you are having difficulty breathing, it may mean the piece is caught in your lung. You should seek immediate medical attention if this is the case.

Upon receiving X-ray results, a doctor will determine the appropriate course of action for removing the object and notify your orthodontist of the situation. You may need to visit the orthodontist for a replacement once the item is safely removed.

Along the same lines, see a doctor if you experience stomach pain after swallowing your bracket. This could mean that it is caught in your digestive tract and will not pass without medical intervention.

According to a study published in Science Direct, surgery is required in less than 1 percent of these cases. Even if surgery is required to remove the bracket, it is not large enough to cause permanent damage to your body.

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20 Comments

Leave your reply.
  • blue5cloud
    · Reply

    October 23, 2018 at 9:31 PM

    Please help I was eating and swallowed the bracket in the back holding the wire in place, glue and all. I’m so worried that it’s stuck or something but I can’t go to my orthodontist because I have the SAT’s tomorrow. WHAT DO I DO HELP ME!!!

  • Anonymous
    · Reply

    September 18, 2018 at 7:29 AM

    Just swallowed one of my brace bracket and now I dont what to do help me out pls 😭

  • jasmin
    · Reply

    September 17, 2018 at 9:43 PM

    I just swallowed a spring coil and its been 2 Hours and nothing has happend i asked people and they said it will be disolved in your stomich acids or you will use the bathroom and you know.

    • Harshith
      · Reply

      November 21, 2018 at 11:03 AM

      What about ceramic braces bracket

  • Anonymous
    · Reply

    September 15, 2018 at 2:38 PM

    Someone help, I was eating a sandwich and the wire, rubber band, and entire bracket fell off and I swallowed it. The glue is gone too. I thought I was fine but now I have bad heartburn. Should i be worried?

  • Hamish
    · Reply

    August 30, 2018 at 7:45 AM

    I swallow 1/2 in wire 😢😥😭..im afraid and my parents don’t know it..i swallowed it today while eating nuts😭😭 I’m afraid I have important exam..pre board and board exam😥

  • She Who Must Not Be Named
    · Reply

    August 14, 2018 at 8:28 PM

    My band from around the tooth broke off! I saved the metal part but I don’t know if I swallowed the rubber part! Ahhh help I’m having a panic attack!

  • Madison
    · Reply

    August 9, 2018 at 1:05 AM

    A few minutes ago a pice of my wire broke off and it was pokey. I swallowed it and I don’t know what to do. Please help me

    • Paola Guzman
      · Reply

      November 12, 2018 at 1:39 PM

      I did the same. I’m worried! Are you okay?

  • Chiara
    · Reply

    June 24, 2018 at 9:08 AM

    I swallowed one of my brackets in the back of my mouth.. I literally can’t concentrate because I have 2 VERY important exams tomorrow and I can’t go see my orthodontist (although, this does give me a pretty good excuse not to do exams 😉 ). idk what to do though because i don’t know how long its been like this since I only noticed it this morning. ahhhhhhhhhh

  • Laura
    · Reply

    May 28, 2018 at 10:19 AM

    I literally swallowed the whole thing. Glue and all. I was writing a birthday card for a relative when I noticed it had gone. It seemed to have detached from my tooth and slid off the back.(It was a hooked back bracket with band and glue still on). There is no glue on my moler at all which seems strange since when the same thing happened before (but that time it didn’t slip off) the bracket separated from the glue. I’m guessing i swallowed it, I don’t know where else it could have gone? Please pray for me (u_u)

  • Aila
    · Reply

    May 17, 2018 at 7:17 AM

    Just a little while ago i swallowed a 1 inch wire of my brace while eating pizza… what will i do? I’m sooo nervous .i can’t concentrate in my review and my exam is scheduled next week..pls help me

    • Ruel
      · Reply

      June 20, 2018 at 9:51 AM

      What happened to you? Are you okay now?

    • Hamish
      · Reply

      August 30, 2018 at 7:47 AM

      I think we need to go CT scan 😭

      • Paola Guzman
        · Reply

        November 12, 2018 at 1:40 PM

        Are you okay now? I am so worried I did the same 🙁

  • Shreya
    · Reply

    May 14, 2018 at 7:31 PM

    Yesterday I was having my meal I noticed that one of bracket is missing ….Then I remembered 2 days back I had eaten chocolate and at that time the wire broke while eating ……. But at the same time something hard touched my teeth and I just spilt it out on the floor not noticing what it is …. I m confused was it a bracket or a kind of stone ??

  • Kaitlynn
    · Reply

    March 1, 2018 at 9:27 PM

    i swallowed one of the hooks meant for my bands, must’ve been during a meal but i didn’t notice it until i went to put my bands on for the night. should i be concerned?

    • Courtney
      · Reply

      March 17, 2018 at 1:42 AM

      Curious what happened after you swallowed the metal hook/tie? I don’t have an answer for you, but I literally just had the same thing happen. Went to put my rubber bands in for the night and the metal tie is gone. I’m slightly worried because that wire is so pokey.

      • Geo
        · Reply

        April 18, 2018 at 1:01 AM

        Were u okay?

      • Madison
        · Reply

        August 9, 2018 at 9:41 AM

        Are you ok now??

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