RAK: Asian woman saved after accidentally swallowing her teeth retainer

Doctors at at Ibrahim bin Hamad Obaidullah Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah have saved a serious, urgent and unique condition of an Asian woman, 38, who accidentally swallowed her “dental retainer”.

According to Dr. Mariam Al-Khattari, head of the laparoscopy department at the hospital, who managed the medical team that conducted the operation lasting about 15 mins, a Filipino woman got her dental retainer removed from her stomach, after it had settled in the middle part of her esophagus after swallowing it.

The sources said that the condition occurred last Tuesday, when the patient went to sleep, without taking off her removable retainer, and when she woke up thirsty later, she had a cup of water, which led to swallowing her retainer leaving her with a feeling of discomfort and difficulty in swallowing.

She then immediately went to a hospital in the emirate, where the ENT doctors tried to extract the retainer to no avail, and after an X-ray revealed that the retainer is stuck in the middle of the esophagus, she was rushed to Obaidullah hospital and underwent the successful Endoscopy procedure.