Opalescence Go Whitening Trays: Professional Results at Home?

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Why is it that the best things in life stain your teeth? Coffee, red wine, fresh summer berries — they all leave their mark. The good news is that you can fight back, and you don’t even need to visit a dentist to do it. At-home whitening kits like Opalescence Go lift out those set-in stains, letting you smile bright while still indulging in all your favorite treats.

But choosing a whitening treatment is an important decision, and there are a ton of options out there. That’s why we’ve done the research on Opalescence Go, compiling all the essential info here so you can decide if it’s the right option for you.

Opalescence Go at a Glance

Opalescence is one of the biggest names in professional teeth whitening. Dental practices across the country have used and sold their award-winning products. They’re particularly known for their proprietary gel, which is formulated to stick to the teeth and oxidize stains while avoiding soft tissues.

Opalescence Go was originally designed as an at-home treatment accessible through dental offices. Now, it’s a direct-to-consumer product. It takes the professional formula you’d get from an in-office treatment but adapts it for at-home use. Rather than measuring out the gel, you get pre-filled trays that contain the exact amount of whitening solution you need. You just open the package, place the top tray on your teeth, suck it into place, remove the outer green tray, then repeat with the bottom tray.

Opalescence is a subsidiary of Ultradent, a dental manufacturing company that makes everything from dental bonding materials to bone crafting plugs for jawbone surgery. They’ve been in business since the 1970s, so they have a lot of experience and research behind them. That’s why you can trust their Opalescence Go trays to meet or exceed industry standards.

Pros & Cons of Opalescence Go

Opalescence Go stands out from most of the competition in several ways. However, they’re not perfect. Here are the biggest benefits and drawbacks to keep in mind as you evaluate the system.

Effectiveness

When you think about over-the-counter teeth whitening, you probably picture pens and strips. However, professional at-home kits almost always use trays because they are incredibly effective at keeping the gel in place. And Opalescence Go is one of the most powerful whitening trays available.

Opalescence Go pre-filled trays contain either 10% or 15% hydrogen peroxide, depending on the kit you choose.

Hydrogen peroxide is the top active whitening agent in teeth whitening products, and for good reason — it works! The higher the percentage, the more powerful its effects will be. Many at-home products have a concentration of 6.5% or less, so Opalescence Go’s strength surpasses the industry standard.

Opalescence Go doesn’t make claims about how white your teeth will get, but their 15% hydrogen peroxide trays are the most potent formula of any home kit we review.

Studies show that stronger peroxide concentrations can render results more quickly than weaker formulas. Due to its potency, you only need to use Opalescence Go for 5–10 days to see full results.

Like all whitening products, it works better on certain types of stains than others. It’s best on yellow stains, so-so on brown stains, and not all that effective on others.

As a professional formula, Opalescence Go has proven effective in clinical settings.

Typically, the longevity of your whitening results will depend on your behavior — like how often you consume highly pigmented foods and drinks or if you smoke. That said, you can keep your results bright by completing maintenance treatments once a year or so. You can either do a standard course of treatment or less depending on need.

Affordability

The primary reason to go for an at-home kit over in-office whitening is the price. Even the most expensive at-home kits are hundreds, even thousands less than in-office whitening. Compared to professional treatments, Opalescence Go is a highly affordable alternative, but compared to other at-home options, it’s around average.

Opalescence Go costs $70–$85 per package, which is a little steep for a single-use product.

However, it offers a lot of value for that price. Sure, many of their competitors are cheaper, but they aren’t offering professional-level whitening gel, and their products aren’t backed by the expertise of Ultradent.

You shouldn’t just be comparing its price to other home treatments either — you also need to look at Opalescence’s in-office options. Their two-hour in-office whitening procedure can achieve a slightly brighter smile than Opalescence Go — and in a lot less time — but often costs somewhere around $500 per treatment, which is about average for professional whitening.

Because each tray comes pre-filled, your kit is simple — just the trays and nothing else. And since you only use them once, you don’t need any cleaning solutions or refills. Opalescence backs their at-home products with a 60-day satisfaction guarantee, and if you purchase them from a dentist, they might come with additional warranties.

Quality of Ingredients

A whitening product is only as good as its ingredients. All reputable kits will have an active whitening agent and inactive ingredients that help ensure it works. Opalescence Go combines a powerful whitening agent with a variety of other dental-grade ingredients to deliver a comfortable whitening experience.

Opalescence Go uses hydrogen peroxide — the most common active ingredient in teeth whitening kits.

It’s highly effective, and works by oxidizing the organic structures in your teeth. So you can feel pretty confident that it’ll eliminate most types of tooth stains. And since you can choose your strength — 10% or 15% — you can even tailor the results it delivers.

All the ingredients in Opalescence Go are vegan, gluten-free, and kosher.

They are all standard, dental-grade ingredients, including:

• Glycerin: Dehydrates the enamel, making it easier for the peroxide to penetrate the pores of the teeth and break up stains.
• Water: Keeps the gel hydrated so it can coat the teeth.
• PVP: Helps dislodge surface stains on the teeth.
• Carbomer: An adhesive agent that keeps the gel on the teeth so it does not cause chemical burns on the gums.
• Potassium Hydroxide: A pH conditioner, it helps boost the peroxide’s whitening effects.
• Silica: Remove surface stains with its slight abrasiveness.
• Dipotassium Phosphate: A buffering agent, it helps maintain the gel’s pH.
• Xylitol: Fights plaque to prevent stain build-up.
• Citric Acid: An accelerator that helps to open the enamel’s pores.
• EDTA: Helps enhance absorption, getting the gel into the enamel’s pores faster.
• Flavor and Fragrance: Helps to mask the flavor of peroxide with either mint or melon flavors and fragrances.
• Potassium Nitrate: Reduces tooth sensitivity.
• Sodium Fluoride: Reduces tooth sensitivity.
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate: A foaming agent that helps the gel get into the crevices between your teeth.
• Sucralose: An artificial sweetener that helps mask the taste of peroxide.

That’s a pretty lengthy list of ingredients. However, this is a formula backed by lots of research and use in professional environments.

Convenience

In terms of convenience, it’s really hard to compete with pre-filled trays. You don’t have to measure gel or boil and bite the tray for a custom fit, and you don’t need to hold an awkward smile while painting gel on with a pen. But even among other pre-filled whitening trays, Opalescence Go is a fairly convenient option.

Opalescence Go’s prep time is 30 seconds or less.

The first step is to open the package and identify the upper and lower trays. The upper tray is marked with a “U” and the lower one has an “L.” Place one on your teeth (it doesn’t matter which). Bite firmly and suck the tray against the teeth for two seconds, then remove the colored outer tray. After you’re finished, repeat this process with the other arch.

Each whitening session with Opalescence Go is under one hour — and in some cases, as little as 15 minutes.

Your weartime depends on your smile goals, which peroxide concentration you choose, and how sensitive your teeth are. For the 10% solution, each season is 30–60 minutes, and for the 15% solution, each session is 15–20 minutes. Either way, you should only use it once per day and your treatment is typically 5–10 days long.

You can use Opalescence Go while going about your daily routine at home or while traveling.

These trays are individually packaged, so they are easy to take with you on the go. Your whitening treatment won’t interfere in your typical routines at home or at your hotel. The only thing they might affect is your speech. However, if you don’t mind having a bit of a lisp, you can still carry on conversations.

When you’re done whitening, just remove your trays, throw them in the trash, and rinse out your mouth. For best results, avoid eating or drinking anything for at least 30 minutes.

Comfort

All whitening trays can feel slightly awkward. Lisping and extra saliva production are pretty much par for the course. But some kits offer greater comfort than others, and Opalescence takes measures to make the process as comfortable as possible.

Opalescence Go can cause sensitivity, but the company takes steps to prevent this.

Dental sensitivity is common among whitening treatments, and typically, the higher the peroxide concentration in a whitening treatment, the greater the risk of sensitivity. Opalescence Go has one of the highest concentrations of hydrogen peroxide you can get without a prescription. However, they also have ingredients in their formula that help prevent sensitivity: potassium nitrate and sodium fluoride.

Plus, their wear schedules are flexible. You can shorten your whitening sessions, shorten your treatment length, and even take days off between sessions. Some professional guides from dentists even suggest those with pre-existing sensitivity should whiten just once per week, so there’s some wiggle room to figure out exactly what works for you.

You can choose from two flavors: mint and melon.

Most whitening tray kits don’t give you an option, so this is pretty great, and the melon is pretty unique. The gel itself is slightly gooey, but you don’t really notice it thanks to the trays.

They’re thicker than custom whitening trays, so you will notice them. However, they aren’t as bulky as the ones in kits with LED lights. Once you get used to sucking the trays into place, the entire process is fairly comfortable.

What Are Customers Saying?

Overall, customers love Opalescence products and Opalescence Go in particular. The fact that it’s a professional formula inspires confidence, and many of the reviewers were dentists and dental hygienists.

We found that customers most often appreciated Opalescence Go’s convenience, amazing results, and flavoring options. We also found a lot of reviewers who said Opalescence Go is one of the best options for those with sensitive teeth.

Not everyone loves it though. Some customers reported that it burned their gums, and a few even said it made them bleed. However, if you wear the trays correctly, they shouldn’t contact the gums at all.

Final Thoughts

If you want a brighter smile without a lot of inconvenience, Opalescence Go might be the perfect option for you. There’s no measuring gel or rinsing out trays, and you get all the benefits of a professional formula from the comfort of home.

Of course, it isn’t your only option. Check out our review of the best at-home whitening kits to compare the top products available.