BUFFALO, N.Y. — Dr. Kenneth Lee, who’s been practicing dentistry for close to 20 years, says there's been a monumental shift in the way dentists have approached pain treatment since the opioid epidemic began.

"The mindset is totally different than what it used to be. Where a patient called up a doctor, before we had this problem, in a week's time ‘oh I'm still feeling a little something,’ the doctor would just give you another 20, another 40, 60, whatever. But that mindset has changed," said Lee. 

This week, the American Dental Association backed up what Lee says most dentists are already doing.

The ADA announced new policies supporting limited opioid dosage and prescription length to seven days for patients with acute pain.

But with patients still coming in for tooth extractions, root canals and toothaches, doctors have had to find different ways to provide relief.

"Ibuprofen and if necessary, if we need to go above and beyond ibuprofen itself, then we'll back that up with extra strength Tylenol, alternating each drug," said Lee. 

The ADA also included support for further education in prescribing controlled substances.

Lee also serves as an associate professor at the University at Buffalo's Dental School, and says UB has stressed prescription moderation to its students.

"The school is ultra-responsible for turning out dentists. They're on the forefront of teaching students what this epidemic means, how we should be handling it," said Lee.

Lee says as soon as five years ago, dentistry was responsible for seven percent of the overall prescriptions for opioids. While there isn't any new data to reference, with the changes in philosophy, he assumes that number has dropped significantly.

"Every day somebody's dying. It's a huge problem, epidemic. If we have a small part to play in this then we should be responsible for what we're doing as well," said Lee.