The crisis surrounding opioid prescription drug abuse continues to dominate the news. In fact, the Center for Disease Control says the opioid epidemic is killing 91 Americans each day with many others facing addiction problems.
The use of these drugs may be of special concern for those facing a major dental procedure. For the thousands of high school and college students who will have their wisdom teeth removed this summer, the use of opioid pain relievers can be especially dangerous.
“We know that in about 80% of the cases, young adults first exposure to opioids is when they have their wisdom teeth removed,” said Oral Surgeon, Dr. B.D. Tiner.
Also, a recent study from the American Society of Addiction Medicine shows that in 2015 alone, 276,000 adolescents were current non-medical users of pain relievers such as opioids, with 122,000 having an addiction to these prescription pain relievers.
But the good news? There are ways to manage dental pain without the detrimental drug. To hear about this new alternative that provides long-acting pain relief and hear tips regarding oral surgery, watch the full segment below.
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