PITTSBURGH — If you've ever had a root canal or tooth extraction, you might have been handed a prescription for Vicodin or another opioid painkiller to help you recover after your procedure.
Opioids have routinely been prescribed to adults and children for dental procedures for decades, and dentists are among the top prescribers of the drugs after family physicians, responsible for an estimated 1 in 10 opioids in the United States.
But prescriptions for the powerful narcotics have fallen in recent years, as the opioid crisis has underscored the need to be more judicious when prescribing the drugs. Local dentists are increasingly turning to alternatives to manage pain — and patients don't seem to mind.
