A Case of Missing Teeth

​An older man presented to the emergency department for respiratory complaints, and a routine series of studies—blood work, ECG, and a chest x-ray—almost automatically appeared in the orders.​Haziness on the left side—left hilar fullness probably isn't good. A CT scan would likely confirm the fears of cancer.​The large mass wasn't unexpected, but did you see the metallic foreign body in the stomach? There was something on the left side under the diaphragm on the upright chest radiograph. The same thing appeared on the coronal CT image. Did he swallow something?Upon detailed questioning, the patient remembered that he had lost his "partial." He had no idea where it went, and hadn't yet followed up with his dentist. Well, now we know where his partial was.Ingested foreign bodies are much more prevalent in the pediatric population, but adults are not immune. The mentally impaired, seizure-prone, or substance-addicted patients have long been known to arrive in the emergency department with a variety of objects in their gastrointestinal tract. Bones, particularly fish bones, are a commonly encountered GI foreign body in adult patients. These usually get hung up in the oropharynx, but wayward dental appliances from implants to full dentures have ended up in the esophagus, stomach, and beyond.Fixed dental prosthetic devices may loosen. (Ann Med Surg [Lond] 2015;4[4]:407; J R Soc Med 2004;97[2]:72.) Often patients are not aware of the dangers, and do not...
Source: Lions and Tigers and Bears - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs