Stabbing pain in the throat after teeth cleaning

Description 

A previously healthy, 25-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with mild stabbing pain and foreign body feeling in her throat after cleaning her interdental spaces with a pin, which she accidentally swallowed. Physical examination, including enoral inspection, showed no abnormalities. An anterior–posterior and lateral cervical radiograph was performed (figures 1 and 2).

Figure 1

Anterior–posterior (A) and lateral (B) cervical radiographs. L, left; R, right.

Figure 2

Anterior–posterior (A) and lateral (B) cervical radiographs. A transversely located pin is shown at the level of the epiglottis above the hyoid bone. C, cervival vertebra; Th, thoracic vertebra.

Radiographically, the pin was identified in the laryngopharynx and therefore laryngoscopy was performed. The pin was found transversely sticking into the epiglottic vallecula. Extraction was possible without anaesthesia using a forceps. No pain, bleeding or infection was reported...

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