Dental drill came loose – fell down patient’s throat

A patient accidentally swallowed a drill during a dental visit last October. Now the incident is reported to the Health and Care Inspectorate according to lex Maria, Sydsvenskan reports.

It was just an ordinary tooth extraction – or, it was supposed to be just an ordinary tooth extraction – but before the day was over the patient had more than one tooth ache.

The drill loosened during treatment and fell straight down the patient’s throat. An ambulance was called and the patient, who could still breathe, was taken to an ear, nose and throat clinic where the drill could be removed. The patient was then able to go home without physical pain.

The dental clinic states in its lex Maria report that the whole thing could have ended worse if the drill had gone into the patient’s lung instead.