Hazards of orthodontics appliances and the oropharynx

Occasionally orthodontic appliances or parts of orthodontic appliances have caused problems with either the airway or the gastrointestinal tract. The type of appliances that have caused problems and their clinical management are discussed. A case is described in which an upper removable appliance with inadequate retention became lodged in a patient's pharynx lacerating the palatine tonsils. Suggestions are made to try and avoid the problems that were encountered in this case and others reported in the literature in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment.