Keeping My Smile Brilliant: Trying out At Home Teeth Whitening
When I was younger I was always uncomfortable about my teeth - having braces twice to straighten them out, wearing a retainer to keep them there, none of it was very fun. But now as an adult, I’m grateful that my smile is one I can be proud of. But, I still have some issues! Joining the adult working world meant drinking way more coffee, which after doing my bachelors and my masters in just four years, I didn’t think would be possible. I also like to indulge every now and then with some wine, especially a malbec in the colder months. I post a lot about wine, coffee, and food on my blog and Instagram, and all of that can definitely take a toll on my smile. I’m sure no one else notices, but I am always sad about how yellow my teeth look in pictures I post and wished they could look better. When Smile Brilliant reached out to me, I knew I had to try them. I had done the whitening strips before but never used a tray or gel to whiten my teeth.
No Pain, No Gain?
I know that a lot of people have had issues with other whitening products taking way too long to see results or being awkward to use. But the biggest issue I’ve heard is the sensitivity, these products can make your teeth super sensitive and it’s no fun to keep whitening when it becomes more painful each time. I was skeptical about Smile Brilliant since other at-home whiteners had also made my teeth sensitive, but I was surprised when the first session left me with no pain! They even send you desensitizing gel along with the whitening gel but I hardly used it because I didn’t really need to. I thought this was really great that they had formulated this product just in case others experience sensitivity.
The Experience
One of the best things about these whiteners is how customized they are to YOU. Smile Brilliant sends you all the things you’ll need to create an impression of your teeth that you then mail back to them. They were so prompt in mailing everything and I believe I had my trays not even a week after sending them my impressions! The trays fit perfectly which I know can’t always be said for other whiteners since they may have a generic fit or one that’s not quite right for you.
Once your trays are sent, you can begin the process of whitening! They give you these fun syringes that have the whitening and desensitizing gel in them which makes the process so much more exciting. They recommend that you leave the trays on your teeth for 45 minutes the first session, but you can go up to 3 hours if you’re comfortable later on. Once you finish whitening you can use the desensitizing gel for around 15 to 20 minutes, but I honestly never felt discomfort once while using the gel! It was amazing to see how different my teeth looked in just one 45 minute session, it definitely made me excited to continue.
The only down side to using the trays is (TMI) so much drool! I would usually whiten my teeth right before bed since that’s when I had the most time and was done eating and drinking for the day. I would sit on the couch and watch an episode (or two) of a show on Netflix and hold a paper towel to my mouth while whitening. This was probably just my mouth not being used to trays but Taylor definitely got a kick out of hearing me try to talk normally with them in!
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, I’m super happy with the results I got from whitening my teeth with Smile Brilliant! While I do wish I would’ve been more consistent with it (life happens you know), I’m glad that the syringes contain a lot of product, enough for 3 or even 4 applications each, so I can pick back up whenever I want! The whole experience was super easy and they give you a lot of educational sheets on how to do all the steps and troubleshoot any problems.
And for all those in suspense, here are my before and after shots...
Before
After
The results are in! I love my new smile and I’m so happy I had the opportunity to work with Smile Brilliant. If you are interested, I’ve teamed up with them to give away an at home teeth whitening kit to one of you! Head to this link to enter the giveaway: www.smilebrilliant.com/g/cityofshay. This whole kit has a value of $149 and can give you 9-12 sessions of whitening! Also, use my code cityofshay15 for 15% storewide if you’re looking for other kinds of products!
