Services
Sedation Dentistry
Feeling anxious about treatment? We offer oral sedation, a simple pill taken before your visit, to help you relax.
Why choose us
Benefits of Sedation Dentistry
Calmer Dental Visits
Oral sedation helps you feel relaxed and at ease while we care for your smile.
No Needles Required
With oral sedation, you simply take medication by mouth before your appointment.
Easier Longer Treatments
Staying comfortable can make procedures like extractions, root canals, or implant care feel more manageable.
Care You May Have Delayed
Feeling calmer can help you get the dental treatment you have been putting off.
One Familiar Team
Our general and cosmetic dentists can pair oral sedation with the care you need in our West Palm Beach office.
If your heart starts racing at the thought of a dental chair, or you've postponed a cleaning, a filling, or a tooth that's been bothering you for months, you're far from alone. Dental anxiety keeps many people from the care they need, and it often makes small problems grow into bigger ones. At Family Dental Care in West Palm Beach, we offer oral sedation to help nervous patients feel calmer and more at ease, so getting your dental health back on track feels manageable rather than overwhelming.
Sedation dentistry uses medication to help you relax during dental treatment. The option we offer is oral sedation, which means you take a prescribed medication by mouth before your appointment rather than receiving it through an IV. Oral sedation is designed to ease anxiety and take the edge off the experience. It's typically used alongside the local anesthetic that numbs the area being treated, so you're both calm and comfortable.
Oral sedation can help a wide range of people. Some patients have carried fear of the dentist since childhood. Others have a strong gag reflex, find it hard to sit still for long periods, or simply feel tense the moment they hear dental instruments. It can also help patients who need a longer visit or several procedures completed together. Because we provide integrative, multidisciplinary care for patients ages eight and up, many types of treatment can be paired with sedation when it's appropriate, including:
- Fillings, crowns, and other restorative work
- Root canal therapy on front teeth, premolars, or molars
- Simple and surgical extractions, including wisdom teeth removal
- Dental implants and related procedures such as bone grafting
- Gum disease treatment, including scaling and root planing
- Larger plans such as full mouth rehabilitation or a smile makeover
Your first step is a conversation with our team. Dr. Michael C. Westcott or Dr. Sujay Trivedi will review your health history, ask about any medications you take, and talk with you about what makes dental visits difficult for you. Please be open with us here. Knowing whether you've had bad experiences before, or which parts of treatment worry you most, helps us plan a visit that feels right for you.
Not everyone is a good fit for oral sedation, and that's why this conversation matters. Certain health conditions and medications can affect whether sedation is a safe choice. If oral sedation is right for you, we'll explain exactly how and when to take your medication and how to prepare for your appointment day. These instructions typically include arranging for a trusted adult to drive you to and from our office, since sedation can affect your alertness and coordination.
Your Treatment Day at Our Office
On the day of your visit, you'll take your medication as directed so it has time to take effect. Once you're settled in the chair at our state-of-the-art facility, our team will check in with you before any work begins. Many patients find that the relaxed feeling oral sedation provides makes time pass more easily and the sounds and sensations of treatment far less bothersome.
Throughout your appointment, we keep an eye on how you're doing and move at a pace that keeps you comfortable. Because oral sedation helps you stay calm, we can often focus on getting meaningful work done in a single visit. For some patients, that means finally addressing several concerns that have been building up.
Aftercare and Feeling Like Yourself Again
The effects of oral sedation can linger for a while after your appointment, so plan to go home and rest for the remainder of the day. Your driver should help you get settled, and it's wise to avoid driving, making important decisions, or doing anything that requires your full attention until the medication has worn off. We'll send you home with written instructions specific to both your sedation and the treatment you received.
Aftercare for the procedure itself depends on what was done. Instructions after a filling differ from those after an extraction or implant placement, and we'll walk you and your companion through what to expect. If you have questions once you're home, please call us. We also offer emergency dental appointments, so you can reach us if something doesn't feel right.
Insurance and Payment Options
We accept all major PPO insurance plans, and our team can help you understand how your benefits apply to your treatment and to sedation. Coverage varies from plan to plan, so we're happy to review the details with you before your appointment so there are no surprises.
We also welcome self-pay patients. If you don't have dental insurance, just let us know, and we'll talk through your treatment plan and the costs involved so you can make a decision that feels comfortable.
Dental anxiety doesn't have to stand between you and a healthy smile. Whether you live in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach, or Palm Beach Gardens, we'd be glad to talk with you about whether oral sedation is right for you. Call Family Dental Care today to schedule your consultation, and let us help you feel calm and cared for from your very first visit.
The process
What to expect
- 1
Talk With Us
We review your health history, your concerns, and whether oral sedation is a good fit for you.
- 2
Relax During Treatment
You take your prescribed oral sedative as directed, and our team monitors your comfort throughout your visit.
- 3
Rest and Recover
We share clear aftercare instructions, and a trusted adult should drive you home so you can rest.