Denture obstruction: Retired teacher narrowly escapes choking

A horrifying situation unfolded for a 67 year old retired teacher who nearly lost his life after his false teeth got lodged in his throat.

Following a meal, the retired teacher noticed an unexpected denture obstruction in his throat while swallowing water to take his after-meal medication. Unaware initially that it was his decade-old lower denture that was causing the discomfort, he attempted to dislodge the obstruction by drinking more water. When that failed, he sought help from his wife and children. Upon noticing the absence of his false teeth, it was deduced that the missing lower denture was the cause of the obstruction.

Immediately, the retired teacher rushed to Tha Sala Hospital to get the stuck denture removed. After an X-ray examination and endoscopy, the medical team successfully removed the denture despite the procedure taking several hours. The complex denture obstruction operation involved five specialists, including surgeons and otorhinolaryngologists. This incident serves as a wake-up call for individuals using dentures, emphasising the need for regular checks, especially when the dentures have been long in use.

In the same context, Doctor Kluay, a page providing medical information, mentioned that small, loose dentures that have been in use for a long time should be replaced. In this case, the patient reported to the doctor that his false teeth had fallen into his throat.

Although the X-ray did not show the presence of dentures in the throat, the patient insisted he felt something stuck. The doctor, believing the patient’s words, suspected that if it was a plastic denture obstruction, it wouldn’t be visible in the radiography. Hence, a computer tomography (CT) scan was performed, confirming the presence of the denture in the throat. Knowing the exact location, the patient was taken into the operating room where the denture was successfully retrieved using an endoscope, reported KhaoSod.

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