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.
