Swallowing a piece of your braces or appliance:

Do your best to remain calm.  A piece that is swallowed usually goes into the stomach or lungs.  Most often, it will go into the stomach and pass out of the body in a bowel movement without any complication.  Coughing often accompanies a piece that was inhaled into the lungs.  In the rare case that you experience breathing difficulties you should seek medical attention immediately. Your medical care provider may arrange for a radiograph (X-ray) to be taken.  This would allow the position of the piece to be determined so that they may be able to provide you with treatment options.