BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select
Frequently Asked Questions

Who should undergo the BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select treatment?
The BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select treatment provides dramatic results for anyone who wants to whiten their teeth. This includes people with teeth that have been stained by smoking or by substances such as coffee or tea. It also whitens teeth stained by tetracycline, speckled by fluoride, or hereditary discoloration.

Who cannot undergo the BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select treatment?
The BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select treatment is contraindicated for clients who are pregnant or lactating.  The treatment is also contraindicated for children under the age of 16.  Additionally, any clients with known allergies to hydrogen peroxide or glycols should not undergo the treatment. Allergic reactions to the BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select treatment are rare, however if the client was previously unaware of his or her allergy and has had a reaction to the treatment (usually evidenced by blistering along the gum line and/or swelling of the lips and gums), the client should contact his or her general practitioner immediately for treatment.

How white will my teeth get?
After undergoing whitening with the BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select System, teeth shades can brighten between five to 14 shades, with an average improvement of eight shades on the BEYOND™ WhiteSpa®Select Whitening Shade Guide. Although individual results will depend on how discolored the teeth were originally, the end result will be white, shiny teeth.

How long will the whitening last?
This varies from person to person and depends on your diet and lifestyle, but the effects usually last for about two years. Periodic touch-up treatments are recommended for clients who frequently consume coffee or other staining foods and drinks or for those that use tobacco products.

Is it safe?
Yes, scientific research has shown that the active ingredients in the BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select Whitening Gel are effective and safe for cosmetic tooth whitening. The dental community has used these ingredients in performing teeth whitening for years. The BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select Whitening Gel does not change or damage the structure of the teeth; it merely makes them appear white and shiny.

How long does the treatment take?
The BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select treatment consists of three, 20 minute applications of whitening gel and light. It is usually recommended that you have these three sessions done in a single one-hour session so that you can walk away from the treatment with a dramatically whiter smile. However, if you don’t have enough time to do one hour all at once, or would prefer to split up the treatment for other reasons, talk to your aesthetician about your preference for this.

How often can I have the treatment done?
This depends on what kind of whitening results you want to see from the whitening treatment. If you want to see additional whitening results from the treatment, you can talk to your aesthetician about coming back in about a week after the first treatment for an additional touch-up treatment (either one or two more 20 minute sessions). Keep in mind that there is a greater risk of sensitivity from performing a touch-up treatment so soon after the initial treatment, but this is transient and will pass within 24-48 hours.

Many clients prefer to do a touch-up session after about three months. Again, the entire treatment is not recommended, but an additional 20 or 40 minute touch-up can help to maintain your shiny, white smile. Talk to your aesthetician about his or her recommendations for maintaining your brightest smile. Other options to explore include at-home whitening maintenance with the e-Bright® Tooth Whitening Accelerator Home Edition.

If I have veneers, bonding, or caps, will this treatment still whiten my teeth?
As with all cosmetic teeth whitening treatments, this treatment is only effective on natural teeth. If your dental work is visible when you smile, you should discuss your appropriate recourse for matching these items with your surrounding enamel with your dental professional. Please also note that the BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select treatment will not damage any existing dental work.

What is the difference between BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select and the other light-accelerated cosmetic teeth whitening systems that I see in the mall and other spas/salons?
The BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select system uses real power whitening technology. The foundation of our technology is the use of a powerful halogen light source. Clinical trials have determined that halogen light sources produce significantly superior whitening results than both LED and plasma arc lights, making BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select the most powerful cosmetic teeth whitening system currently available.

There are also several systems in the cosmetic teeth whitening market that use ultraviolet (UV) light as the source of their light acceleration technology. Not only are UV lights not as effective as halogen lights, the client’s exposure to UV light during the whitening treatment should be minimized, not maximized through direct, unfiltered exposure.

BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select contains an advanced filtration system designed to remove all harmful heat and UV light. Light from the BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select Whitening Accelerator is filtered through over 12,000 optical fibers and 30 layers of coated optical glass before accelerating the whitening process. With this system in place, BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select delivers the most intense, tailored beam of blue light of any cosmetic system on the market without the risk of UV exposure and the hypersensitivity associated with other whitening systems. 

Further to that, our gentle, enamel-sale 6% hydrogen peroxide whitening gel is specially formulated to produce optimal whitening results in the shortest amount of time, while minimizing sensitivity and leaving the teeth with a glossy shine following the treatment.

What is the difference between BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select and other teeth whitening products that I see for sale over-the-counter?
The advantage of whitening your teeth with the BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select system is that you can achieve the same whitening results that would take you multiple treatments and many days (even weeks!) to achieve at home with other non-light accelerated, over-the-counter whitening products. The concept is the same: using a hydrogen peroxide-based whitening gel to remove stains from your teeth – but the advantage of the BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select system is that this process has been accelerated to product the same results in only one hour.

Will my teeth be sensitive during or after the treatment?
BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select’s whitening gel is a very gentle, over-the-counter strength, 6% hydrogen peroxide gel. Most clients experience no pain or sensitivity during or after the treatment. However, a very small percentage of clients may feel some minor tooth sensitivity, especially if he or she consumes very cold or hot foods or drinks within a few hours after the treatment. Therefore it is recommended that clients avoid consuming extremely hot or cold food or beverages for the first 24 hours following the treatment.

What is the difference between BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select and tooth whitening performed in the dental office?
The BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select system is a 60 minute treatment and is designed for use by aesthetic professionals in the beauty salon and spa industry. BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select uses a 6% hydrogen peroxide over-the-counter strength whitening gel, whereas most in-office whitening systems use 25-35% hydrogen peroxide gels. Treatment times are longer with the BEYOND™ WhiteSpa® Select system than dental office systems because of the difference in whitening gel strengths. However, BEYOND™ has taken care to ensure that the light technology is the same; providing you with a professional-grade whitening treatment that offers less risk of sensitivity and the benefit of being performed in a comfortable, familiar setting.

What’s the difference between hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide?
The two most common active ingredients in teeth whitening are hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide (sometimes called urea peroxide). While the two are very closely related, there are several differences that should be highlighted in explaining why certain manufacturers use hydrogen peroxide and others use carbamide peroxide.

Hydrogen peroxide is “pure” hydrogen peroxide. In other words, it is not combined with any other chemicals. During use, it breaks down into water and oxygen while penetrating through the tooth enamel and breaking apart the longer carbon chain molecules that cause visible stains in the teeth. This oxidizing process is what causes the “whitening” effect.

Carbamide peroxide is hydrogen peroxide dissolved in urea crystals. As a result of the combination of hydrogen peroxide and urea, it is less powerful, weight by weight, than "pure" hydrogen peroxide. Although carbamide peroxide still has hydrogen peroxide as the active ingredient, it has to undergo one more step before it can whiten. This extra step means that carbamide peroxide will act more slowly and will need to be on the teeth for longer. 

Hydrogen peroxide is highly reactive and is effective for only about 30-60 minutes once it has been released from its suspended phase. By adding urea, it becomes more stable and can be stored for longer periods. However, it only releases about 50% of its active ingredient in the first two hours. The rest is released over the next 4 to 6 hours. 

In general, hydrogen peroxide products are used for short daytime use and carbamide peroxide is used for longer overnight periods. In order to provide the most rapid and effective whitening treatment, all BEYOND™ whitening gels contain hydrogen peroxide as the active ingredient. This shortens our treatment times, but it also means that following the proper storage instructions for the whitening gels is very important.