What Causes Shortness Of Breath After Swallowing Partially Chewed Food?

Posted on Sat, 10 Jan 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 10 Jan 2015 Answered on

Mon, 9 Feb 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : As I get older I have been having teeth pulled because I do not have the money for repair. that being said sometimes I do not chew my food enough and swallow too big of a bite which then becomes stuck in my esophagus. It causes a great deal of pain and some shortness of breath. I cant swallow and it seems as if my body is trying to push it back up. I just experienced such an episode and thought it was almost over so I took a drink to finish pushing the food down when I believe I experienced a Vaso-vagel event and passed out. I awoke feeling fine but tired and my wife is FREAKING OUT!!! Do I need to see a doctor?

Answered by Dr. Moumita Chakraborty,MD (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Yes, you need to see a doctor

Detailed Answer:
Hello Sir!

Welcome to HealthcareMagic.

I understand your concern.I would like to say that, yes, you definitely need to get your teeth fixed. Since you are not chewing food and gulping big chunks of it continuously,this might lead to several physical disorders like Gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD),bloating,overweight etc.

Gulping big parts of food can cause GERD in which the acid of stomach is re fluxed back to the esophagus and gradually causing constriction of the lower esophageal sphinchter leading to difficulty in swallowing food and causing chest discomfort too.This if not treated can lead to serious complications later.

You might be feeling tired because of insufficient absorption of proteins in your gut since the food particle is too large to be absorbed.This might lead to anemia too.

So,without any further delay please see a doctor and repair your teeth.

Hope this helps.Feel free to ask more.
Dr.Moumita Chakraborty

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E