Chandler dentist using alternative pain-relieving methods to fight opioid addiction

CHANDLER, Ariz. (KSAZ) - "Nineteen months ago, the United States Attorney General sent me a letter saying as a health care provider, I need to do my part in reducing narcotics use," Leslie Fish said.

Fish is an oral surgeon and when he learned about how he could give his patients a pain killer that wasn't considered an opioid, he jumped on board.

"Seeing that I'm often somebody's first exposure with narcotics with teens and their wisdom teeth, I took that letter seriously and I did some research and I found a non-narcotic pain relieving medication," he said.

He says within six-to-10 hours of the injection, the local anesthesia kicks in and is a great alternative to those who want to stay away from opioids.

"It's nice to have an option for patients when they don't have to take narcotics and they have many other side effects," he said. "People don't like the way they feel after."

Dr. Fish stressed he has no financial interest in the company and is not getting paid. He just enjoys having it as an option for patients.

In the last 17 months, only one patient has reported nausea as a side effect.

"The parents have said, 'I wish we had this when my other children went through this,'" he said. "So, the response has been tremendous."