Why Shaw Dental Offers Opalescence for Teeth Whitening

Walk down any oral care aisle and you’ll find a dozen ways to whiten your teeth — strips, pens, rinses, LED gadgets promising Hollywood results in a week. Most of them overpromise and underdeliver. A few may leave your gums raw for the trouble.



At Shaw Dental Health, we’ve settled on something simpler that actually works: Opalescence custom-fitted take-home trays. It’s a clinically backed whitening system, shaped to your exact bite, that you use on your own schedule.

What Makes Opalescence Different?

Opalescence is a professional-grade whitening gel dentists have trusted for decades. We use it because it does two things drugstore kits can’t:



• Custom-molded trays made from your bite. We take impressions so the tray hugs your teeth exactly — no gel on your gums, no slippage, no guesswork.
• Prescription-strength gel in controlled concentrations. Opalescence comes in 10%, 15%, and 20% formulations, and we pick the right one for your sensitivity level.

Over-the-counter strips and gels are one-size-fits-all by design. They can’t conform to your teeth, which is why results tend to be uneven and gum irritation is common.

Who’s a Good Candidate for Teeth Whitening?

The short answer: almost anyone. The only thing you need to check is gum sensitivity. If whitening burns, stings, or causes ongoing sensitivity, we stop and reassess. Otherwise, you’re a perfect candidate.

A few specifics worth knowing:



• Adults with stained or dulled enamel are the classic fit. Coffee stains, wine stains, tea stains, tobacco stains, the slow yellow of aging enamel — this is what Opalescence is built for.
• Teens are a special case. Because their bite is still shifting, we usually recommend starting with Crest or Colgate whitening strips from the drugstore, then moving up to custom Opalescence trays once their teeth have settled.
• Pregnant or nursing patients should talk to their OB and dentist before starting any whitening treatment. When in doubt, we’d rather wait than guess.
  

Whitening gel only works on natural tooth enamel. So here’s the bottom line:



• Yes: yellowing and surface stains from coffee, wine, tea, smoking, or normal aging.
• No: crowns, veneers, bonding, and fillings. Those are as white as they’re ever going to be. Whitening gel will not change them — though it can still help remove surface stains built up on the restoration.

If you already have visible crowns or veneers on your front teeth, talk with a dentist before you start whitening. You don’t want to lighten your natural teeth so much that they no longer match your dental work.

One quick note: Opalescence is a maintenance system, not a dramatic overnight transformation. Most patients see gradual improvement over two or three treatment cycles, used at their own pace. If you’re looking for eight-shades-brighter-in-an-hour, that’s not what this is — and that’s by design. Gentle and gradual is what keeps your enamel and your gums happy.

How the At Home Kit Works

Once your custom trays are made, the routine usually looks like this:



1. Load a small amount of gel into the tray. More gel does not mean whiter teeth — overfilling is the number one rookie mistake, and it usually ends in gum irritation.
2. Wear the trays for one to two hours, typically in the evening.
3. Brush after you’re done, not before.
4. Go to bed. No coffee, no red wine, no dark sodas between wearing the trays and sleep.

You and your dentist can discuss the treatment frequency. Everyone’s teeth are different!

How to Keep Your Results

Long-term, the patients with the whitest smiles are the ones who:

• Keep their trays clean and in good condition
• Pick up refill bleach when they run low
• Touch up occasionally instead of bingeing
• Stay consistent with cleanings and daily oral care
• Moderate the usual suspects — coffee, red wine, tea, tobacco, and dark sodas

It doesn’t require a dramatic lifestyle overhaul. Just steady, light-touch maintenance. More care applied gently — not more gel applied aggressively — is what gives you the whitest results.

Is Teeth Whitening Covered by Insurance?

Short answer: no. Dental insurance classifies whitening as cosmetic and doesn’t cover it — one of the few things we can say with total certainty.

That said, an HSA (Health Savings Account) card will typically cover it. If you have one, it’s a clean way to handle the cost.

What Opalescence Costs at Shaw

We believe in upfront pricing, so here’s what it typically costs:

• Custom trays + initial bleach: $250
• Refill bleach (2 syringes): $30



The trays are made once and essentially last forever — as long as your bite doesn’t change significantly (no new crowns, extractions, or major restorations). After that first investment, all you’re buying is bleach. Used correctly, two syringes stretch a long way.

Ready to Brighten Your Smile?

If you’re in Ringgold, Chattanooga, East Brainerd, or anywhere in North Georgia, and you want a whitening system that actually fits your mouth, we’d love to get you started.

Call Shaw Dental Health at (706) 891-2008 schedule your whitening consultation. We’ll take impressions, walk you through the kit, and send you home with everything you need to start.