DT News - UK - False teeth stuck in throat for nine weeks

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 21 January 2013

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BRAINTREE, UK: A 75-year-old woman from the UK who accidently swallowed her dentures had to wait for nine weeks until a doctor found the cause of her fever and illness. The pensioner suffers from Parkinson and dementia, and was not able to explain to doctors what had happened.

As reported by BBC News, Nermin Keating from Braintree swallowed her 11-tooth dentures in November. Her daughter took her for an emergency appointment when the woman felt unwell and had developed a high temperature. During the examination, the daughter mentioned the missing teeth; however, Keating was diagnosed with a lung infection and prescribed antibiotics.

When her condition did not improve, several appointments followed but none of the doctors found the cause. “Each time they visited the surgery, Ms Keating was given antibiotics and told the issue was to do with her lungs or her existing illness,” Umit Maddock, the pensioner’s full-time carer, told BBC News. “It still wasn’t getting better,” she said. “When I fed her she made funny noises, almost like choking.”

Finally, Maddock took the woman to another doctor, who eventually found the dentures in her throat and referred the patient to a hospital. The false teeth were removed and the patient recovered well.

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