Wisdom Teeth Extraction: Lessen or Eliminate Opioid Use With This Drug (My Teen's Experience!) by Christie Gosch

Dental Health
6 years ago

Wisdom Teeth Extraction: Lessen or Eliminate Opioid Use With This Drug (My Teen's Experience!)

Wisdom teeth extraction may by your teen's first contact with opioids and their potential dangers. So, when I learned about a new way to reduce or eliminate the need for these powerful painkillers, I did some research.

Bupivacaine (generic name) is a long-lasting nerve blocker that has been used by surgeons for years, but only recently for oral surgery. The idea behind this drug is that it can numb the surgery site for up to 72 hours, when most of the pain is present, and the need for opioids may be less or not at all when it wears off.

When I approached the oral surgeon about using this drug, he said, "I think this will be the wave of the future, but it can be tricky asking a patient to try a new drug so I'm glad you brought the idea to me!" His confidence allayed my concerns and my teen was onboard. After the surgery, my daughter used a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen, her dosage going up after the nerve blocker wore off, but she never needed anything stronger and was off those medications altogether after the fifth day.

All in all, we were both very happy with the outcome. The drug was not covered by our insurance but was well worth the extra cost.

The information on 30Seconds.com is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and should not be considered medical advice. The information provided through this site should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease, and is not a substitute for professional care. Always consult your personal health care provider.

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Ibuprofen $4 & Up
Acetaminophen $4 & Up

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Donna John
Great information to know, Christie Gosch . I have one that still needs to come out, and my son has all of his -- pointing the wrong way. I'll remember this when we schedule our extractions.
Christie Gosch
Our doctor used Exparel and my daughter had all 4 taken out. Good luck!
Elisa Schmitz
Oh, wow! I wish I had known about this before all three of my kids had their wisdom teeth extracted a couple years ago. The oral surgeon used a combination of Xanax, Novocaine and laughing gas before and during the procedure, and then I do believe they were prescribed opioids, but we only used them for a day or two before switching to Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen and they made it through (the opioids made them feel dizzy and tired, not pain free). The way you did it sounds like a much better option. Thank you for sharing this, Christie Gosch . I still have my wisdom teeth, but if I ever need them out, I will refer back to this post!
Christie Gosch
I can't believe you still have them, not too many people have room - Stan still has his but I've always said he has a big mouth - lol!
Margaret Steck
That's fantastic! My son had his taken out a few weeks ago and I wish I had known about this alternative. But, as it was, he only needed iBuprofen for the pain (thankfully!) Great tip!
Mindy Hudon, M.S., CCC-SLP
When my son has his wisdom teeth out I was horrified to see the opioids prescribed. Although I filled the prescription just in case, we never ended up using them. I was consistent with icing for 12 hours as directed and only used Tylenol/Motrin when needed. He did amazingly well with only needing these medications for 1-2 days. I didn't know there was another option. Anyway, I disposed of the opioids and he never had use them. Thanks for this information if Twin A ever needs them removed.
Christie Gosch
Glad the healing wasn't too bad and I keep hearing stories of not even needing the opioids so why do they just prescribe them automatically? Hopefully this will catch on and the prescription can be eliminated from the equation!

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