Summer isn’t over yet, and neither is barbeque season.

Health officials in Manitoba said it’s important to use common sense, and replace barbeque brushes regularly to avoid injury or a trip to the emergency room.

Winnipegger Blair Thiessen got a wire from a bristle brush lodged in his tongue.

"I was eating dinner with my family, and the next thing you know something was stuck in my tongue, and it was scrapping the inside of my mouth," Thiessen said.

"It was a little bit frightening. I didn't even really want to eat after that. I can't even imagine if it was stuck in your throat, how that would be.”

Thiessen said he was lucky, and got the wire out with a pair of tweezers.

“Yes we have encountered wire bristles in patients coming to the emergency department,” said Dr. Mark Barker, an ear nose and throat surgeon with Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

Barker said in cases that send people to the emergency room, the wire usually lodges in the tonsils or lower part of the throat.

Health Canada also warns people about metal bristles.

“Inspect your barbecue brush and the barbecue grill regularly. The metal bristles on the brush can become loose over time and stick to the grill. They can then get on food and accidentally swallowed. Throw your brush away if the bristles are loose,” the agency writes on their website.

Barker said to his knowledge there were no cases in Manitoba from barbeque brushes that caused serious complications.

“This is not unlike fish bones getting stuck, and people have not stopped eating fish,” Barker said.

The WRHA said it does not track the number of people sent to hospital due to barbeque brushes.

Barker said it’s important when people are eating barbequed food to to properly chew it.

He said people with dentures are at a higher risk of getting a wire lodged and should be more careful.

He added if someone feels they have swallowed a part of a brush, they should visit a doctor or go to an emergency room, and to check their brush’s condition regularly

Barker said if the brush looks ratty, replace it.

Luxe Barbeque Company manager Evan Fogg said moisture and grease wears away at the wood causing the bristles to loosen.

“We probably get one person in here a week that knows somebody that has got a bristle in their food,” he said.

Fogg said the best way to avoid wire bristle getting stuck anywhere is to use a bristle free brush instead – and there are plenty of options, which cost about $5-$7 more than the traditional metal bristle brush.

He said the ‘Napoleon’ bristle free brush was one of the most popular options.

"It works just as good as a wire brush, but you don't have to worry about any bristles,” he added.