I really don’t think forcing needless suffering on everyone is the answer to this problem.
Source: had six very painful teeth extractions, with bone grafts and two sinus repairs. I was almost pain-free on 600mg ibuprofen + 600mg acetaminophen every 6 or so hours. I say "almost" because I was not dumb enough to try any type of exercise, or eating crunchy cereal, but I had no problem falling and staying asleep or going back to work in 24 hours.
So I am not entirely sure why you think opiates were necessary or provided you the type of relief that OTC meds could not provide. My double-board-certified, extremely expensive dental surgeon doesn't seem to think so.
I also had abdominal surgery, for which I can concur opiates do help quite a bit, which is entirely separate story.
"I've had some back pain and got prescribed opiates, now i'm addicted"
We're not talking about getting some opiates after surgery or severe and mostly rare things. Americans get opiates for all kinds of small inconveniences, like a wisdom tooth removal, or some back pain. Opiates don't heal or fix back pains. They just mask the symptoms and create a new problem.
I've been in a lot of pain in my life and never took any opiates, because they are reserved for extreme situations where i live. In america, i would have had easy access to prescriptions for those in most cases.
We have no opiate crisis here.