To address your final question: patients are strongly pushed to take prescribed medications at the prescribed intervals. You decided your didn't need anything

To address your final question: patients are strongly pushed to take prescribed medications at the prescribed intervals. You decided your didn't need anything extra for your pain. That is good. Many people have difficulty toughing it out, maybe they had it worse. Perhaps some got an infection from their wisdom teeth removal (or they failed to follow directions and got dry socket leading to extreme pain). Given the prior doctor instructions (and perhaps not understanding why they are currently in pain) patients take their drugs at the maximum (or in some cases, above) the prescribed rate. This isn't too say your choice was wrong, but that many others aren't as fortunate to avoid addiction, add once they are: their choices can no longer be considered rational, but as those made by an addict in pain who had been told opioids will help.