Wisdom Tooth Irrigation...What?

Question

I'm starting to get the impression that this is blatantly obvious and I'm just an idiot, but how the heck does the irrigation syringe work?

I had my teeth out like a week ago, and my dentist gave me the syringe in a baggy and told me to "squirt it into the holes where the teeth were, and if you're doing it right it will be uncomfortable." Made enough sense at the time. Of course, as soon as I try to use the thing I'm completely lost.

My main problem here is that I don't see any holes on the bottom, and that I can't see if there are any holes on the top. I poked around with my finger, and it feels like there's one giant hole on the right but nothing on the left. Actually, I'm kind of concerned about whether or not I should have this hole now, seeing as I can't find any others.

Thanks guys. ;)

Answer 1

What Happens On The Day Of My Surgery?

Recent advances in medicine and technology allow patients to undergo wisdom tooth removal in a manner which promotes rapid healing and minimal post-operative discomfort. We use state of the art sterilization and infection control techniques at all times, including the use of sterile water for irrigation during surgery.

The day of your surgery you will be seated in one of our private Surgical Rooms. We will make sure that you are comfortable and then we will gently place a very small IV in your hand or arm. We will then begin giving you small increments of medications that will allow you to comfortably drift off to sleep. You will be breathing on your own during the procedure, but you will not be able to feel or remember anything. Once your surgery has been completed you will transported to one of our private recovery rooms.



Private Recovery Room

In the recovery room we will go over post-operative instructions with you and your escort in great detail. All the instructions will be given to you in a written form to take home with you and are also included below. We will also make sure you have our after hours emergency phone numbers in case you need us for any reason.

When you leave the office you will be comfortable and drowsy. You will not be in any pain, because we will have injected local anesthesia around the surgical sites while you were asleep. We commonly use a long acting local anesthetic which is designed to keep your mouth numb for several hours after the surgery. The numb feeling normally wears off within 5 to 7 hours, but may last as long as 12 hours. Sometimes the numbness may last into the first night and as you go to sleep your lip and tongue may still be “tingling”. This is not a complication, but rather a blessing, because the longer your mouth stays numb the more comfortable you will be.