Hi my name is Kayla and I am an avid coffee drinker. Even while pregnant (except for that pesky first trimester) I am a stickler to my morning cup of joe. I enjoy it, especially with my favorite creamer, and I honestly don’t know that I could function without it. Chasing around a very active one year old requires some backup in the shape of caffeine. If you know, you know.
With coffee comes stains. I’m not just talking about my affinity to splatter on any white shirt I might own. I am talking about the stains on teeth that threaten to take over after years of sipping on dark coffee. I love my smile and would like it to remain intact. Especially these days when I don’t have the time or energy to get up and actually floss.
So when I was contacted by Smile Brilliant and offered a chance to try their custom fit whitening system, I was definitely in!
Over the years I have taken part in a small variety of ways to keep my teeth white. Whitening toothpaste, whitening strips, and whitening mouthwash. I have also looked into other options like laser treatment and professional whitening. In that research, I found that custom whitening was the #1 dentist recommended method. I looked into it with my own dentist but I was NOT willing to shell out $500+ to whiten my teeth.
IN COMES SMILE BRILLIANT. The system I was sent has a price tag of $159, just about 70% cheaper than most dental offices. Plus, was done completely in the comfort of my own home and on my time. Win for the moms!
Disclaimer: This whitening system was gifted to me by Smile Brilliant in exchange for an open and honest review of the system + whitening process from beginning to end. Everything I talk about in this blog post comes from me, 100%, and includes my experience and opinion on this whitening system.
I received my Smile Brilliant kit within days of confirming my participation in this campaign. The box came with everything I would need for creating my custom fit trays and the whitening and desensitizing treatments.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about creating your custom trays and whitening with Smile Brilliant. See my before and after photos. PLUS score your chance to win a system of your own!
Creating My Custom Fit Trays
Creating my custom fit whitening trays brought me back to being 14 and sitting in that chair at the orthodontist. “Now bite down sweetie,” the dental assistant with the pixie cut had said to me, shoving a tray with what looked like pink clay into my mouth. Friends warned that I would gag but I held that reflex back and waited.
This experience was much the same, however this time it was more hands-on. The process is super simple. Howevery, I was nervous as I started to mix the base and the catalyst together. Thankfully the directions that come with the kit are incredibly detailed and easy to follow. I was worried I was going to push the trays into my teeth too much and create a hole, I wouldn’t keep my times correct or something else equally as silly. Open a timer on your phone to keep you on track, the rest is a piece of cake.
And no, these trays didn’t make me gag either. I noticed an overwhelming increase in my saliva output and was grossed out at myself as drool began running out the corners of my mouth.
After creating my tray templates they sat for a little over an hour and were sealed into the prepaid shipping envelope that came with the starter kit.
A few days later I got a confirmation email that my trays had been received and looked great! I fully expected, with my darn luck, to have to create another tray but nope, this girl received an A+! The email explained that I should receive my custom fit trays within 7-10 business days and the whitening could start!
The Whitening Process
If you follow along on Instagram, I shared a step by step guide to whitening with Smile Brilliant. You can catch that video process in my story highlights. For those who like to read I am about to break down how easy this custom system is.
First things first, brushing your teeth with JUST water. I used warm water because it feels better on my swollen pregnancy gums. Brush well and make sure there is nothing stuck on your teeth. Then you get to pull out the syringes:
I mean, how cute are those? Since I have sensitive gums when I’m pregnant, my kit came with two sets of these bad boys: four whitening syringes and four desensitizing syringes. Each syringe should last 3-4 treatments so keep that in mind! (I explain the desensitizing treatment below!)
Setting up the trays is as easy as applying a thin strip of the whitening gel to the front of the custom fit trays. The most stressful part of this whole system is filling those trays the first time. Did I put enough? Did I put too much? Am I going to ruin my teeth? But don’t sweat. If I can do this…you can do this. The first treatment I do think I went a little too thin. I was able to use one syringe for just about 5 treatments. I got better and more confident with each treatment and by the second week, I was a total pro.
The first time you whiten you want to only wear the trays for about forty-five minutes. This is to make sure you don’t have any issues with sensitivity or pain from whitening. From there, you increase the amount of time you wear the trays, up to three hours!
After the time is up, you remove your trays and brush your teeth as normal*. Rinse out your trays and set them in the case provided to dry for the next use.
Easy, Peasy, Lemon-Squeezy, that’s all I’m saying.
*I brush my teeth in the AM with Crest 3D White, and Crest Gum Detoxify at night (thank you pregnancy gums…)
The Desensitizing Treatment
For those of you with sensitive teeth and/or gums, you definitely want to order the system for sensitive teeth. The rest of the setup is completely the same, you just get a quick extra step with your whitening treatment. And you know what, I didn’t feel like I needed this step with EVERY treatment. Especially when I didn’t whiten every day but every other day.
For the desensitizing treatment, as I said, you will whiten the same as described above. Once you are done with the whitening treatment, all you have to do is wash out your trays and get them as dry as you can. YES, you’re still going to brush your teeth as normal! After you brush your teeth and dry the trays, you fill the trays the same exact way with the desensitizing gel. The desensitizing treatment you wear for 10 to 15 minutes, and this can be done later on. I actually end up using the desensitizing treatment before bed most nights. It just works best with my day!
Fitting Whitening into My Routine
Now the question usually becomes, especially for moms, when am I going to find the time for this? And that is the best thing about the Smile Brilliant system. There are two aspects that stick out about this whitening process that made it a great option for me as a stay at home mom of a toddler AND newborn.
FIRST: The custom-fit trays. I’m not a huge fan of having the paper in my mouth that comes with strips. Strips always seem to be moving around and I end up playing with things in my mouth out of boredom. The trays felt a lot like having a retainer in…which reminds me I probably should wear more often…except these trays are thinner and more flexible. Yes they do give me a lisp when wearing but they aren’t constantly moving around. After a few minutes, you forget you’re wearing them.
SECOND: The timeframe for the Smile Brilliant whitening kit is 45 minutes to 3 hours. The first few times I completed the whitening treatment I left them in for 45 minutes to an hour, tops, just to make sure I didn’t suffer any discomfort. After the first two weeks, I was comfortable wearing them for the full three hours. I’m not a slave to a timer of fifteen minutes of whitening. I can whiten and cook dinner. Whiten and clean my house. Whiten and binge-watch Tiger King on Netflix. And because the trays are custom I can whiten while I food shop. Or, I could before COVID-19 took over our lives.
These two pieces of the Smile Brilliant puzzle really make this system of whitening perfect for busy moms like me. I get to keep my smile pearly white without taking a chunk of time out of my day. It has also enabled me to actually stick to whitening every day or every other day because there is really no excuse. Setting up takes two minutes and can whiten for 3 hours! DISCLAIMER: I do still keep a timer, just to make sure I don’t end up whitening my teeth for four hours and end up looking like Ross:
But, I am actually free. I don’t have to stare at the clock or rush to fit a chore into fifteen minutes. Like I said, I can get shit done while whitening and keeping my time free is just about everything when you’re running a household.
Before and Afters
Of course, you can’t really judge a whitening system without some kick ass before and afters. Sidenote: my mouth does NOT open very wide and Ben and I spent about fifteen minutes each time we took these trying to get the most of my teeth. But here are the before and after pictures so you can see for yourself the results of the Smile Brilliant System!
Giveaway + Coupon Code
Now it’s time for the fun part! Smile Brilliant has been awesome enough to offer one of my followers this Smile Brilliant Whitening system, a $159 value. Click here to enter the GIVEAWAY!
And don’t worry, even if you don’t win this awesome giveaway, Smile Brilliant has given us a special 15% off discount code for you: ACCORDINGTOKAYLA15
Finally, if you have any other questions about the Smile Brilliant teeth whitening system you can check out the FAQ page here. Feel free to check out other testimonials here as well!
If you have any follow up questions about my experience using the Smile Brilliant whitening system, drop me a comment below! Until next time!
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