Limiting Opioid Usage for Dental Pain: Better Alternatives

Woman with a headache

As we all know, opioids are a concern. They are so addicting. Further, overdosing or usage with alcohol or some other depressant may lead to a change in breathing, which can result in death. There have been way too many deaths as a result of opioids.

Certainly, opioids are helpful in certain situations. However, opioids also have side effects, which include nausea, vomiting, and constipation. We cannot forget that they should be stored securely and your inventory of these opioids must be monitored. As we can see, these opioids are problematic.

For most dental pain, an over-the-counter (OTC) medications will work. These OTC medications include acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen sodium (Aleve), and aspirin. For more moderate pain, we recommend taking two of these at the same time, which would more specifically be Tylenol with either of the others. Personally, I would take two acetaminophen at the same time as two ibuprofen tablets, every four to six hours, for moderate dental pain. Yes, this makes four tablets or capsules, each time. However, this does work better than many of the narcotic and opioid type pain relievers, and this is much safer. To be even safer, please do consult your doctor prior to taking any of these pain medications.

Clearly, in this day and time, taking acetaminophen with one of the other medications is a much better way to go, all the way around.

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