Foreign bodies in the ear, nose, and throat are commonly seen in family medicine, usually in children. Occasionally, orthodontic appliances or parts of orthodontic appliances are accidentally swallowed and have caused problems with either the airway or the gastrointestinal tract. The purposes of this article were to describe the type of appliances most likely to cause problems and to discuss their clinical management. The case of a patient who swallowed a key for turning fixed expansion appliances is presented. The key became lodged in the patient's pharynx but subsequently passed through the gastrointestinal tract. Suggestions are made to prevent the problems that were encountered in this case and others reported in the literature in orthodontic patients.
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