Opalescence 35 Pf Teeth Whitening System

What is Opalescence 35?

Opalescence 35 is the newest product in a powerful line of tooth whitening gels from Ultradent. The company already has an established reputation in tooth whitening gels from their tried and proven carbamide peroxide gel concentrations of 10, 15, and 20%. 35% is a significant step up from the others and consequently, requires a much shorter treatment time. This review of Opalescence will cover the general effectiveness of the product and provide a comparison between Opalescence 35 and the 20, 15 and 10% concentrations.

Differences Between Carbamide Peroxide Concentrations

As the numbers indicate, Opalescence 35 is almost twice as concentrated as the next level down which means the bleaching treatment time will be much shorter. The exposure time will be 30-60 minutes or less. By contrast, the 10, 15, and 20% concentrations require up to 6-10 hours of exposure which may include overnight. For some people, the shorter treatment time is more convenient. On the other hand, due to the high carbamide peroxide concentration of Opalescence 35 gel, tooth or gum sensitivity is more severe than the lower concentrations.

Is Opalescence 35 Right For You?

Opalescence is intended to whiten and ultimately remove strong stains deep in the teeth caused from coffee, wine, tobacco, or certain foods or pharmaceuticals. It will also significantly whiten the overall shade of your teeth that may have been caused from lack of oral hygiene, genetic coloring, age, or tooth trauma (cracks). However, for the latter cases, you are probably just as well off with Opalescence 15, 20 or a lower concentration. In general, short term teeth or gum sensitivity is not unusual or unexpected after using any whitening gel treatment. It is a problem if this sensitivity or pain is intense and long-lasting. There are a number of reasons this could happen including one or more of the following:

1. You are using too much gel and it is overflowing the tray onto your gums. If this is the case, use less gel on the tray next time and make sure you wipe any excess gel off your gums with a clean finger, toothbrush, cotton ball, or tissue during treatment.
2. The treatment exposure time is too long for you. If you suspect this is the case, reduce the bleaching time (and never do an overnight treatment with a new gel until you are confident about your sensitivity to it).
3. You are using the treatment too often. If you are bleaching your teeth every day, switch to every other day.
4. The gel carbamide peroxide concentration is too strong. If you have already ruled out 1, 2, and 3, you may just have to switch to a lower concentration (if available).

If you have never used a bleaching gel before and are unsure about your teeth and gum sensitivity then we recommend beginning with the 20% because many people find 35% is too powerful. Individuals with sensitive teeth or gums will be far better suited to lower carbamide peroxide concentrations. On the other hand, if you have heavy staining or have very yellowish, grayish, or dark teeth, Opalescence 35 is probably right for you. Similarly, if you have tried other teeth whitening gels or weaker Opalescence concentrations and were unsatisfied with the whitening, you should definitely consider 35%.

In conclusion, we give Opalescence 35 a 5/5 rating as a powerful whitening gel for the heavy-duty teeth whitening or teeth stain removal. However, because of its concentration, we do not consider it an 'all purpose' whitening gel and it should not be used by anyone who has somewhat sensitive teeth or gums or who just needs a couple shades of whitening. If you need serious whitening, go with Opalescence 35.