4 ms·

Why do you need opiates of all things to deal with tooth removal?!

by formerly_proven 6y ago

gvhst 6y ago
its a procedure with a painful recovery?
mkoryak 6y ago
because it hurts.
crankyoldcrank 6y ago
Seems strange to me too, when I had my wisdom teeth out they just gave me ketamine.
bb611 6y ago
This has been common in the US for decades now, I was prescribed them as a minor for my wisdom tooth removal. I was also fine with ibuprofen. I'm assuming there were significant kickbacks to oral surgeons from the opioid sales people.
- CyberDildonics 6y ago
  That is extremely standard, why would you assume there "were significant kickbacks from opiod sales people?" Most of the time it would be generic vicodin and cost under $20 for enough to take for a few days.
astral303 6y ago
Wisdom tooth removal is a whole different ballgame than plain tooth removal, with painful complications possible (e.g. “impacted” wisdom teeth).
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
vorpalhex 6y ago
The same reason I had to go to a specialized surgeon, have a pre-visit to analyze the problem teeth, and be put under for the operation. I basically had a surgeon digging around in my jaw with operating tools for two hours - and I was a barely functioning person for like a week afterwards.
dqv 6y ago
It's pretty painful, especially if you have all four removed at once. But, I think pharmaceutical propaganda has made people believe that there is really a way to kill the pain. Something I've learned from opiate addicts is that it doesn't make the pain go away - it just makes you feel good enough to forget the pain. It was my opinion before doing it that I would be feeling some amount of pain no matter what I did. So I just followed the other aftercare instructions first - ice it, take ibuprofen, (lightly) swish with warm salt water. The pain was reduced enough that I didn't feel the need to take the opiates.
Enginerrrd 6y ago
Im with you. I had the full 4 wisdom teeth removed at once and I got by just fine with ibuprofen. However, you have to understand that like most things in biology, there's a bell curve which exists for measureable pain tolerance. There are definitely people who find that level of pain unbearable in the same way you and I might find a hot poker unbearable. It's not irresponsible as a provider to offer pain meds for that.
- wkearney99 6y ago
  As someone that's had back pain my entire adult life, not everyone has the same constitution. Understanding, of course, that not all pain is 'the same'. My level of tolerance is likely because I understand the /significant/ risks of addiction. I'd rather not be in pain, obviously, but not at the risk of being a junkie. I definitely get the impression that a lot of people sucked into pain med addiction are not the sort that have had a lot of previous experience with pain. Making it doubly irresponsible to prescribe such highly addictive medications for them.

Why do you need opiates of all things to deal with tooth removal?!

gvhst 6y ago

its a procedure with a painful recovery?

mkoryak 6y ago

because it hurts.

crankyoldcrank 6y ago

Seems strange to me too, when I had my wisdom teeth out they just gave me ketamine.

bb611 6y ago

This has been common in the US for decades now, I was prescribed them as a minor for my wisdom tooth removal. I was also fine with ibuprofen. I'm assuming there were significant kickbacks to oral surgeons from the opioid sales people.

CyberDildonics 6y ago
That is extremely standard, why would you assume there "were significant kickbacks from opiod sales people?" Most of the time it would be generic vicodin and cost under $20 for enough to take for a few days.

astral303 6y ago

Wisdom tooth removal is a whole different ballgame than plain tooth removal, with painful complications possible (e.g. “impacted” wisdom teeth).

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

vorpalhex 6y ago

The same reason I had to go to a specialized surgeon, have a pre-visit to analyze the problem teeth, and be put under for the operation. I basically had a surgeon digging around in my jaw with operating tools for two hours - and I was a barely functioning person for like a week afterwards.

dqv 6y ago

It's pretty painful, especially if you have all four removed at once. But, I think pharmaceutical propaganda has made people believe that there is really a way to kill the pain. Something I've learned from opiate addicts is that it doesn't make the pain go away - it just makes you feel good enough to forget the pain. It was my opinion before doing it that I would be feeling some amount of pain no matter what I did. So I just followed the other aftercare instructions first - ice it, take ibuprofen, (lightly) swish with warm salt water. The pain was reduced enough that I didn't feel the need to take the opiates.

Enginerrrd 6y ago

Im with you. I had the full 4 wisdom teeth removed at once and I got by just fine with ibuprofen. However, you have to understand that like most things in biology, there's a bell curve which exists for measureable pain tolerance. There are definitely people who find that level of pain unbearable in the same way you and I might find a hot poker unbearable. It's not irresponsible as a provider to offer pain meds for that.

wkearney99 6y ago
As someone that's had back pain my entire adult life, not everyone has the same constitution. Understanding, of course, that not all pain is 'the same'. My level of tolerance is likely because I understand the /significant/ risks of addiction. I'd rather not be in pain, obviously, but not at the risk of being a junkie. I definitely get the impression that a lot of people sucked into pain med addiction are not the sort that have had a lot of previous experience with pain. Making it doubly irresponsible to prescribe such highly addictive medications for them.