Dental braces wire found in bowels


Thursday, 10 August, 2017

Dental braces wire found in bowels

In a more unusual day for doctors, a West Australian woman was found to have wire from a dental brace in her bowel — 10 years after wearing braces.

Suffering from bad stomach pain for two days, the 30-year-old was admitted to hospital where a scan revealed the unusual culprit. According to online journal BMJ Case Reports, the wire had pierced her small bowel in several places, causing the intestine to twist around on itself, a condition known as volvulus.

The woman said that she had not worn a dental brace for a decade, and didn’t remember having swallowed the wire or having lost it.

The woman underwent emergency surgery and the wire was removed. She has made a full recovery with no further complications.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/ruigsantos

Related News

$21m Rural Dentistry and Oral Health Clinical School opens in Bendigo

A $21 million dentistry school has opened in Bendigo, increasing La Trobe University's...

Victorian public hospitals deliver record 212,000+ planned surgeries

For the second consecutive year, Victoria's public hospitals have delivered the most planned...

NSW moves to establish new Chief Midwife role in NSW Health

In response to the NSW Birth Trauma Inquiry, the NSW Government is establishing a new Chief...


  • All content Copyright © 2025 Westwick-Farrow Pty Ltd