Better Pain Management For Wisdom Tooth Extractions
A recent study supports a practice we have been following for years here at Favero Dental.
The study suggests that a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen provided better pain relief than hydrocodone with acetaminophen for the first two days after wisdom tooth surgery.
Both men and women had greater satisfaction post-op when using over-the-counter pain medications compared to opioids.
Researchers recruited more than 1,800 men and women slated to undergo wisdom tooth extraction, a procedure that may require cutting into the gums and sometimes removing bone.
Such dental procedures are how many Americans are introduced to opioids, In 2022 more than 8.9 million opioid dental prescriptions were written. Studies show that there is an increased likelihood that they’ll eventually use them again, and then it can lead to addiction.
Roughly half of the trial participants received a combination of ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) for their pain, while the others got hydrocodone with acetaminophen.
Patients tracked their pain twice a day for nine days using electronic diaries, noting not just their pain but also their sleep quality, ability to perform daily activities, and overall satisfaction.
On every measure, the over-the-counter meds matched or beat the opioid, including better sleep and less interference with daily activities.
Those prescribed opioids also were twice as likely to call back requesting additional pain meds.
“We expected the find the non-opioid to be non-inferior, so that at least it was no worse than opioids. We were surprised to see that it was actually superior.” Dr Cecile Feldman, Dean, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
The American Dental Association already recommends against opioids as a first-line pain treatment.
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