Why I Made the Switch to An Electric Toothbrush*

Back in April, I shared my experience with Smile Brilliant’s teeth whitening kit. As someone with sensitive teeth, whitening always seemed a little out of reach for me! Most whitening kits just made my teeth more sensitive, but I loved how Smile Brilliant helped whiten my teeth and didn’t make my teeth more sensitive.

There are so many ways my sensitive teeth kept me from trying new things when it came to my routine. One thing I’ve been slacking on for years is brushing my teeth. I was a dedicated user of standard, cheap toothbrushes. I knew electric toothbrushes were more beneficial, especially for someone like me, who struggled with prenatal and postpartum gingivitis, but they were too much for my teeth and I worried about making all my sensitivity issues worse.

So when Smile Brilliant asked me to try out their new electric toothbrush, the cariPRO**, I was a little hesitant. But Smile Brilliant had given me a whiter smile with their sensitive tooth whitening kit--so I trusted them!

Using the cariPRO

The first thing I did when I received my cariPRO was test it out! I was so excited to try it out and see if it would actually work for my sensitive teeth.

The cariPRO has 5 different settings: Clean, White, Massage, Gum Care, and Sensitive. They all have different vibration speeds and patterns.

The Clean setting is a standard setting; White bumps up the vibration to help really get rid of surface stains; Massage and Gum Care are designed to massage your gums and teeth as you brush, getting rid of plaque and stimulating your gums; and Sensitive is like the Clean setting, but dialed down.

Over the first few days of using the cariPRO, I tried all these settings. The best part about the cariPRO is that it pauses every 30 seconds--which reminds me to switch from the four “corners” of my mouth. Isn’t that genius!? Not only is the cariPRO better for your teeth and gums, it helps you brush your teeth for the amount of time recommended by dentists.

My favorite routine was to start on the Sensitive setting and brush for 2 minutes that way, then switch to White and brush the fronts of my teeth for 1 minute. It really helped give me that sparkling, clean feeling and alongside my ongoing whitening with Smile Brilliant, I’ve noticed my teeth are much whiter and cleaner feeling. Once a week, I also spend 2-3 minutes using the Gum Care setting to massage my gums. (And of course, every day when I’m done brushing, I follow up with flossing and mouthwash!)

What’s it come with?

I received the Individual Package of the cariPRO from Smile Brilliant**; this came with the toothbrush, two heads, and the charging dock. At only $119, that’s a great deal! You can also order extra heads for the cariPRO really affordably; a set of 2 is only $13**.  All the packages come with a 2 year limited warranty; that means they’re committed to getting you whiter, healthier teeth.

Right now, my readers can get 20% off their cariPRO order using the code writingbetweenpauses-20. That’s 20% off on top of the already amazing price; if you order the individual package, it will only be $95.20!

Just visit Smile Brilliant** and enter writingbetweenpauses-20 at checkout!

We all want to be our best possible selves. A beautiful smile is often the first thing we notice about other people--and we all want our smiles to be bright. And even better, we want our dentists to be impressed by our tooth health. I’ve noticed a definite improvement in my teeth since starting to use the cariPRO in July and I know you’ll love it too!

If you have any questions about the cariPRO and Smile Brilliant, check out their FAQ here**; it answers all their most common questions. And don’t forget to use writingbetweenpauses-20 at check out!

Disclaimer: As always, the asterisk (*) in this blog post indicates that I received the cariPRO toothbrush from Smile Brilliant for free in exchange for review! All opinions, however, remain my own. As well, any links marked with a double asterisk (**) are affiliate links; that means, I get a small percentage for every sale that occurs through those links. If you want to try the cariPRO or the tooth whitening kit, both of which I absolutely love, please consider using my affiliate link and discount code! It helps me keep the lights on here at Writing Between Pauses. 

Tooth Whitening Gel

How to Whiten Sensitive Teeth and Build Confidence in 2 Weeks*

When I was pregnant with Forrest, I felt more confident than I ever had before. I loved being pregnant, even though I later found out that I was having what is often thought of a difficult pregnancy. (In my defense, if you have nothing to compare pregnancy to, it's hard to know if it sucks or not!) 

It was after I had Forrest that I started to feel really less-than-confident. Not only had my body been radically altered, but I felt like my entire face was different! I got very puffy during pregnancy and, even in the weeks that followed, I continued to look quite puffy and bloated. 

During pregnancy, I developed prenatal gingivitis. This is extremely common and is almost always something you can't really prevent from happening; I'd never had issues with my teeth before and I took extremely good care of my teeth. But my smile was affected by pregnancy, no matter how well I took care of my teeth. 

I worked really hard postpartum to improve my dental health--and I'm glad to say I don't have gingivitis anymore, thankfully! But my nervousness over my teeth, and how they look, had taken its toll. I knew I needed to try to gain some confidence back when it came to my smile. 

Enter Smile Brilliant. I had tried other tooth whitening systems in the past but found them cumbersome or so mild that they had no effect. I also didn't have the money to pay for professional whitening at my dentist's (trust me, I asked). So when I heard about Smile Brilliant, I knew I wanted to try it. And thankfully, the process is super simple! 

The Process

Your first whitening kit comes with supplies to make tooth impressions, plus all the whitening and desensitizing gel you'll need for later. I had so much fun doing my impressions for my trays; I know that sounds dorky, but mixing up the base and catalyst was really fun. You just mix them together and press into the blue tray, then press onto your top or bottom teeth. (Then repeat for whichever ones you didn't do!) Once you've done your impressions, you let them dry and mail them back to Smile Brilliant, where they make you a set of your own, customer trays. 

That's really the secret to Smile Brilliant: these aren't generic trays or strips that might not fit on your teeth. Because they fit so well, it's easier to get an even whitening on your teeth! The process is so simple and fast; it felt like it took barely any time at all!  

But Does It Work?

Once I got my trays, I was so excited to start! Since I received a sensitive kit (as I have quite sensitive teeth), I first use the whitening gel for about 30 minutes. I then use the desensitizing gel for 25 minutes. Within my first week of use, my husband commented on how much brighter my smile looked. If that's not a compliment, I don't know what is!

I used Smile Brilliant every night for about 10 days to achieve these results. I took a break after 10 days (and I'll talk about why in a little bit) and then started whitening every other day after that. On the days after I whitened, I tried to avoid anything that might heavily stain my teeth, like tomato sauce or coffee (that was a tough one). 

I'm really, really happy with my results. I bought a lavender lipstick a while ago that I absolutely love--but when I smiled, it made my teeth look so stained! I had pretty white teeth before, but that lipstick made them look dingy. I'm excited to try it again now that my teeth are brighter and whiter. There is nothing like having a brighter smile that makes you feel more confident about your appearance. 

A Few Notes

After 10 days, I experienced something that is known as "blanching": basically, I burned my gums with the whitening gel. The Smile Brilliant instructions are really specific about how much gel to put in my trays--but I had accidentally added a bit more than usual and thought, "It will be fine!" It wasn't fine. Within 5 minutes, my gums on the left side of my mouth were burning. I took it off and rinsed, then wore the desensitizing gel for about 15 minutes in the hope that it would help. My gums were fine within 24 hours, but it was a big lesson: follow the instructions! 

As I said, I have quite sensitive teeth, so I received a sensitive kit from Smile Brilliant; the desensitizing gel is an important step if you have more sensitive teeth because it helps bolster your teeth back up some you don't damage them. 

It goes without saying that if you want to try a whitening kit like Smile Brilliant, you should speak to your dentist first. I just gave my dentist a call and talked to him about it; he checked out the website and gave me the ok, with a reminder to follow their instructions and not go overboard.

Try It Yourself! 

I loved whitening my teeth with Smile Brilliant. To enter to win a credit for a Smile Brilliant kit, click here. You have 7 days to enter; this giveaway is open to USA, UK, Australia and Canadian residents. 

If you'd like to try Smile Brilliant, click here to purchase your own kit** and use coupon code WRITINGBETWEENPAUSES15 for 15% off! 

Disclaimer: As always, an asterisk (*) in the title of this post indicates that this is a sponsored post. I received my Smile Brilliant whitening kit for free in exchange for review from Smile Brilliant. However, all opinions are my own. As well, affiliate links are marked with a double asterisk (**); I do receive a small commission for any orders placed through these links. It helps me keep Writing Between Pauses running! To learn more about my disclosure policy, click here. 

Tooth Whitening Gel