Not OP, but I was prescribed Percocet after dental surgery. I didn't even feel any pain, so I was a little confused about why I was automatically prescribed such heavy duty stuff when I didn't even need OTC Tylenol. Shortly after this, I found out I was living with a recovering addict (who got hooked on prescription pain killers after a knee surgery), so I ended up flushing the pills at their request.
I had my wisdom teeth removed and also did not need the prescription percocet I was given. I was prescribed 3 days worth (2-3 pills per day), but never needed them.
I’m glad they gave me the percocet as a precautionary though because I absolutely would not want to have to go fill the prescription after the fact with mouth pain intense enough to then need the prescription.
When a surgeon does dozens of these procedures a month and most cases require a certain painkiller, it makes a lot of sense to plan ahead and prepare the patient when the alternative is intense pain.
It really doesn't make sense to automatically go straight to percocet for wisdom teeth being removed. I think you're making a leap when you say most cases require a certain painkiller - over-prescription of opioids is one of the issues of our current epidemic. The NHS suggests OTC Ibuprofen for pain management after wisdom teeth removal.
