Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and your teeth

Ibuprofen is the most commonly used over-the-counter NSAID for pain, inflammation, and fever, and the most common dentist-recommended pain reliever after extractions and other dental procedures.

Ibuprofen is the workhorse of post-procedure dental pain control: it treats both pain and inflammation, works well combined with acetaminophen, and matches or exceeds low-dose opioids for most post-extraction pain. Clinically relevant cautions are mild antiplatelet effect (matters most for patients on other blood thinners), short-term post-implant use being safe but chronic high-dose use raising theoretical bone-healing concerns, and standard NSAID risks (stomach ulcers, kidney effects, asthma trigger in some patients).