Opalescence Teeth Whitening

With the many teeth whitening product available in the market today, Opalescence PF probably is the most popular and the best take home professional teeth whitening product that you can find. This product is manufactured by Ultradent and can be purchased in different concentrations to aid your bleaching regimen. However, users must take note that this product requires custom fabricated bleaching trays for its use.

What is Opalescence Teeth Whitening?

Opalescence PF is a bleaching gel that you use by filling up bleaching trays and fitting them over your teeth for a whiter and lighter teeth color. With this, you must have your dentist take impressions of your teeth and make a custom bleaching tray for you procedure.

This product contains potassium nitrate and fluoride. In 2005, the Journal of Operative Dentistry discovered from their research that the combination of potassium nitrate and fluoride as with the Opalescence lessens the vulnerability of teeth to cavities and increases the re-mineralization of enamel for stronger teeth.

Opalescence also was found to cause lesser tooth sensitivity. Users definitely can experience such sensitivity especially when using higher concentration formulas. You may opt to use desensitizing gel soon after whitening your teeth such as Relief ACP Oral Care Gel and UltraEZ Desensitizing Gel. Dr. Wm Browing of GA Medical College conducted a comparative study on the sensitivity factor of different bleaching gels and found that Opalescence users experience lesser sensitivity and for shorter periods of time.

In using bleaching gels, you must also realize that even with a ten or thirty-five percent concentration, you can still get the same results and this would only require a longer period of time when you are using a formula with lower concentrations.

Using Opalescence with Fitting Trays

It is imperative that you have your dentist design a precise fitting tray with “block outs” as bleaching gels may cause irritations once it gets into your gums. Remember that Opalescence is not water soluble so if the gel comes in contact with you gums, you will not be able to wash it out or rinse it off easily. Excess gel may only be wiped off or removed using a dry tissue or wash cloth. Block outs are important as it helps hold the material in the tray and not on the tissue. But if you are bleaching for a short time, these block outs are not really necessary for the fitting tray.

For opalescence to be effective, it is recommended that users do overnight bleaching when possible. This is because it has a timed sustained release of about 8 to 10 hours. However, this is not suggested when using a bleaching agent with twenty to thirty five formulas as it can cause severe sensitivity.

With this product, users can notice results after just one night, and since it uses custom trays, it is currently considered as the gold standard of teeth whitening products. If you had been using other over the counter teeth whitening products, this is a must try! Opalescence last for two years if refrigerated and one year if un-refrigerated.