Orthodontic emergencies- a review

Today orthodontic treatment is in growing demand and it is not limited to a specific age or social group. The nature of orthodontic treatment is such that the orthodontic wires and appliances, which are used to apply force and move the teeth, are exposed to the oral cavity. Orthodontic appliances or parts of orthodontic appliances are accidentally swallowed and have caused problems by entering either into the airway or the gastrointestinal tract. The broken orthodontic appliances, or components and dental instruments are the second most commonly ingested objects in adults. Aspiration or ingestion of orthodontic appliances is less common and depends on the kind of appliance .The orthodontic appliance or components that may be accidentally swallowed or ingested viz expansion appliance key, transpalatal arch during its removal, a mandibular spring retainer, a maxillary removable appliance, a fragment of a maxillary removable appliance, a piece of archwire , a fractured Twin-block appliance and accidental ingestion of a rapid palatal expander , a quad helix appliance , a component of a fixed orthodontic appliance , a gold cast crown during orthodontic tooth separation and presence of orthodontic archwire in the nasal cavity , orthodontic bracket lost in the airway during orthognathic surgery , dislodgement of an orthodontic bracket into a sagittal split site etc. Although in most cases these objects are excreted, in 1% of the cases, complex problems such as gastrointestinal perforation are seen, which can sometimes lead to serious risks, and death also .We can say that orthodontic treatment involves dangerous tools to be worked out, in a sensitive place like oral cavity, which is the entrance for respiratory and digestive systems. Prevention is the best method, but when happened, an efficient management of the event would become critical and so saving the patient’s life is at greatest risk.