Woman Accidentally Swallows Dentist’s Drill
People can have a fear of the dentist for a range of reasons, including a fear of the dentist’s drill due to the sound it makes and its usage in complex cases, but few people would have contemplated a fear of actually swallowing a dental drill.
For a 60-year-old woman in Västerås, Sweden, this is exactly what happened when she was undergoing treatment at Västmanland County Hospital.
The incident happened when the three-centimetre drill head (burr) came loose and fell into the woman’s mouth. She was then manoeuvred into a sitting position, but it was too late.
Per Weitz, Medical Chief at Västmanland County Hospital, where the incident happened, said the female patient tried to spit out the apparatus but had already swallowed it.
When an x-ray revealed the drill head was lodged in the woman’s right lung, a bronchoscopy was immediately performed and the woman was able to return home later that day. However, it has taken a full month for the patient to recover.
The introduction of new checks to ensure the drill head is attached properly will come as welcome news to any new patients visiting the hospital.
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