FAQ
Have questions or just want to know a little more? We’re here to help.
Need more? Contact us.
Who are you?
We’re an independent outsourced provider of dental lab services to medical practices. We most often work with cosmetic medical clinics and physicians, but we also provide services to medical spas, laser clinics and day spas. We provide teeth whitening services exclusively through Medical Spa MD to Members as a Medical Spa MD Select Partner.
Are you a dentist?
The Shine team includes a licensed dentist, one of the top cosmetic dentists in the U.S., Dr. Don Bigelow, who provides the training, the input, and the expertise that has gone into our products and services. Some of the Shine team members are licensed dental assistants as well. We have a stringent process and set of requirements we follow to ensure the quality and the fully sanitary procedures that go into creating professional custom-fit whitening trays for Shine.
Can we just work with you directly?
No. The prices and service we offer as a Medical Spa MD Select Partner are absolutely the lowest we provide anywhere. Aside from that, however, Medical Spa MD is a critical partner who has pioneered the training, the education and marketing materials and all of the quality assurance and support that brings these products to you a complete and cost-effective form. They and we are working together to maximize the volume buying power of MedSpaMD clinics to make it possible for us to provide these products at the prices you’re getting. So it’s your participation with MedSpa that’s making this pricing and service arrangement possible for you.
What if I am unhappy or a client is unhappy with a product I’ve ordered from you?
We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all of our products and services. We stand behind the satisfaction of our customers. If a client’s tray isn’t fitting properly, simply take another impression and send it to us, and we will create a replacement tray at no additional cost and send it back to you or directly to your client, whichever is preferable, within 48 hours. However, long as we are provided a clean and accurate bite impression and the trays and gel are used according to our instructions (and we even provide video instruction on our website to assist you with that) there are seldom any issues we can’t quickly resolve.
Who trains your lab technicians? Isn’t this kind of thing better left to a licensed dentist office?
A licensed US dentist Dr. Don Bigelow, trains and oversees our team and the development of our product and process. We are able to provide a dramatic savings by providing our products in volume through an off-site facility. The use of the dedicated dental staff and equipment is one of the primary reasons the cost of purchasing an equivalent kit from your dental office is so high. Dental offices often outsource the creation of custom whitening trays. So this is not untypical, even when you’ve purchased a kit like this from your own dentist.
Aren’t you taking business away from the dentist?
It seems like you’re making it easier or maybe even encouraging people to just come to you for their cosmetic issues and skip the oversight and care a dentist should be giving to your actual teeth.
This is an elective, cosmetic service. We highly support the need and the importance of receiving regular dental care from your licensed dentist. That’s why we are co-founded by a licensed dentist who has direct oversight and input to all aspects of what we do. We are the first to maintain that in addition to regular checkups and maintenance, any issues such as gum damage, loose fillings or crowns or exposed roots should be addressed with your dentist immediately before beginning any whitening treatment.
Can teeth whitening damage your teeth?
Teeth whitening with carbamide peroxide gel is a completely safe procedure. We provide full instructions, education and information as a value-added service through SHINE to help our clients (and yours) use professional strength teeth whitening products with comfort and safety. Our advice and our precautions are clearly stated. Other than the dangers of ingesting carbamide peroxide gel (which could create gastric distress but at any accidental level is certainly not toxic), teeth whitening with carbamide peroxide gel is entirely safe.
Can I whiten if I’m pregnant, or might be pregnant?
There are no studies showing any adverse affect of whitening during pregnancy – however we strongly advise you to follow the advice of your doctor. In the same way that some doctors discourage their pregnant patients from exposing peroxide products to their hair, these same doctors are inclined to advise against using bleaching agents on teeth as well. We know ample women (dental assistants included) who whiten their teeth safely and comfortably during pregnancy. Again, however, you should check with your own doctor to decide how you want to proceed.
Will bleaching with professional strength gel thin out my teeth enamel?
It’s highly unlikely, with normal use. Typically, you would use your whitening trays once a day for 7-10 days until desired whitening is achieved, and then use them only periodically, as needed (depending on your diet and habits, such as smoking or heavy coffee drinking) to maintain the whitening effect. Whitening pens are a nice portable option for maintenance as well. You should aim for a degree of whiteness that is roughly equivalent to the shade of the whites of your eyes. Extreme use (such as wearing the trays overnight more than very occasionally) could eventually weaken your teeth enamel and give the teeth a chalky or gray-blue and translucent appearance. You should avoid this extreme. In practical application, however, extreme whitening would likely make your teeth too sensitive to continue long before actual damage could likely occur. To obtain the extremely stark white color of teeth you see on most television actors and celebrities would likely require permanent dental veneers, which are highly costly and would need to be applied by a licensed and specialized cosmetic dentist.
What if I have a problem?
We stand behind the quality and satisfaction of every product we create in our lab. Also, as a Medical Spa MD Select Partner, you have access to Medical Spa MD for assuring that we have been specially vetted and prepared to meet the satisfaction that MedSpaMD’s client practices expect. Your staff and patients will be thoroughly instructed in its proper use, precautions, and any counter-indications.
Do you ship overseas?
Yes, provided you cover the additional shipping charges.
What languages can your marketing materials support?
English only at this time.
Is this legal?
Yes, absolutely! It is critical to understand that it would not be legal for anyone but a licensed dentist to administer dental diagnosis or advice. Also, if your staff assists your clientele in capturing the impression we need to create their custom trays, it is very important that you be aware that your staff’s role is to prepare the tray and putty for the client (wearing latex gloves, which we can include with your kit if you don’t already stock them) and to give the client proper instructions to create an accurate impression.
You or your staff should not touch the client’s mouth in this process, as it is only legal for a licensed dentist to do so. You are there to help the client capture the impression, which they can then hand back to your staff so that it can dry for 20 or so minutes and then be dropped into the ziplock bag we provide for you to mail to us for completion. That’s it.
How does it work?
Your kits will arrive as sets of dental impression putty and catalyst together with disposable trays. The materials will arrive to you with complete instructions for kneading the putty and catalyst together and inserting it into the trays. The impression will take 3 minutes per arch (one on the top and one on the bottom) to set, after which the client will remove the tray from their mouth and hand it to your staff. You will make sure the impression correctly captures the scalloped arch at the top (or bottom) of the teeth where they adjoin to the gum for the front 8 teeth on top and bottom. We’ll send some extra putty to you in case it’s necessary to repeat any impressions- however, after you’ve completed 1-2 impressions correctly you’ll see that it’ s a very simple process to instruct your clients to do. We will provide a complete instruction page with photos, and we’re in the process of uploading a short instructional video as well.
Basically you’ll want to press the putty firmly enough into the tray to cause it to extrude slightly through the “vents” in the tray to ensure that they putty stays in the tray, not in the client’s mouth, when the client pulls it back out. Instruct the client to bite into the putty deeply but not to the point of biting into the plastic. They should then pull their lip over the clay and press firmly to cause the impression of the scallops at the base of their 8 front teeth to be formed.
Send the completed impressions in their individual zip lock bags to our lab using the pre-addressed container we send you. Be sure to enclose the mailing label in each bag that you would like us to use for returning the completed whitening kits to you. We will send the completed kits in a tissue lined gift bag with instructions for use – or if you prefer it, we can send just the completed kits and instructions for you to insert in your spa’s own logo bag.
We can send the completed kit directly to your client, if you prefer – but we find that most spas prefer to receive the completed kits for their clientele to pick up.
Have more questions? Contact us.
There are many sites on laser teeth whitening cost but I have found your wp site highly informative and interesting reading. I have made a note of your site and was wondering if there any other sites that can provide the same quality of information on laser teeth whitening cost?
Thanks very much – I hope you continue to visit our site. It’s amazing how much information (and also misinformation) is out there. For everyone, it pays to do your research.
There are many sites on laser teeth whitening cost but I have found your wp site highly informative and interesting reading. I have made a note of your site and was wondering if there any other sites that can provide the same quality of information on laser teeth whitening cost?
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Thanks, Sporter! We have several blog entries at Shine on laser teeth whitening. We don’t give it too much time because research (and practical experience) keeps showing us that while laser whitening can appear to be a crowd pleaser at the time of service because of the apparent dramatic whitening; however, the new whiteness fades dramatically in the next 1-2 days as the teeth rehydrate. We also read about the increased porousness laser whitening can produce in the teeth making them even more prone to staining and in need of even more maintenance than before. (not to mention the equipment can cause bad injuries in the wrong set of hands). Some cosmetic dentists perform laser whitening in conjunction with custom bleaching kits for maintenance, which is not a bad strategy for clients who really insist on laser whitening their teeth. But for all of these reaons, we feel the laser portion of the treatment should stay in the hands of the cosmetic dentist – and we’ll stick with the tried and true methods of whitening that are necessary and effective regardless of whether laser is used. Thanks again for your note.
Thanks, Sporter! We have several blog entries at Shine on laser teeth whitening. We don’t give it too much time because research (and practical experience) keeps showing us that while laser whitening can appear to be a crowd pleaser at the time of service because of the apparent dramatic whitening; however, the new whiteness fades dramatically in the next 1-2 days as the teeth rehydrate. We also read about the increased porousness laser whitening can produce in the teeth making them even more prone to staining and in need of even more maintenance than before. (not to mention the equipment can cause bad injuries in the wrong set of hands). Some cosmetic dentists perform laser whitening in conjunction with custom bleaching kits for maintenance, which is not a bad strategy for clients who really insist on laser whitening their teeth. But for all of these reaons, we feel the laser portion of the treatment should stay in the hands of the cosmetic dentist – and we’ll stick with the tried and true methods of whitening that are necessary and effective regardless of whether laser is used. Thanks again for your note.
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