Report: Wisdom tooth surgery increases risk for long-term use of opioids

Getting wisdom teeth pulled often comes with a side of potent painkillers to help the discomfort. And a new research report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday warns those opioid drug prescriptions associated with the common dental procedure may be leading to long-term use among young people. Researchers from the University of Michigan's Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation examined the national Truven MarketScan, a national employer insurance database, to focus on 56,686 wisdom tooth patients between 2009 and 2015