How do doctors remove chewing gum you swallow?

Dont need to remove.: Despite the rumor that it takes years to digest swallowed chewing gum, gum moves through the digestive track like any other food. 18% of chewing gum is made up of a indigestible rubbery substance that can resist chewing. That substance does not stick to the inside of your intestine and is eliminated naturally nearly unchanged within 7 days.

Thet!: In 30 years of practice I have never had to remove swallowed chewing gum. One could invent a scenario where it had to be done, but it would be by a surgeon or other highly trained doctor. One normal sized piece of gum swallowed will pass through the GI system like any food. I would think the risks of removal would be far greater than ingestion and elimination.

Usually pretty safe.: Usually there isn't a problem as the gum will pass harmlessly through the body. However, there are rare cases of chewing gum bezoars which have occurred causing esophageal ; intestinal obstruction (http://pediatrics.Aappublications.Org/content/102/2/e22.Full).