A man from Cornwall, England, has undergone open-heart surgery after popcorn got stuck in his teeth, Fox News reported on Monday.
41-year-old Adam Martin came to the dentist after he felt symptoms the man initially identified as general influenza but which the doctors later diagnosed as endocarditis - an infection that develops when bacteria enters the bloodstream through the mouth, skin or other parts of the human body. The first doctor the patient turned to, however, had diagnosed him with a mild heart murmur and sent him home.
"I had a feeling [that] there was something seriously wrong. I was sleeping an awful lot and I felt terrible. I had aches and pains in my legs and I just did not feel right at all. I was admitted to hospital the same day for tests. ...I felt quite ill and I knew I was not right at all", the man said.
After undergoing the surgery, the man swore not to ever touch the evil product again.
"The popcorn stuck in my teeth is the only possible cause I can think of. I am never eating popcorn again, that's for sure."
The bacteria apparently got into the man's mouth through his damaged gums after he had been trying to remove the popcorn embedded in his mouth himself with various foreign objects, but with no success. According to the man, his range of "tools" included a pen lid, a toothpick, a piece of wire and even a metal nail.
