My teeth have been a source of insecurity for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, my canines grew in a little crooked and stayed up in my gums. I wore braces from 8th grade until 11th grade. And my hankering for coffee and wine has stained my teeth beyond the mottling from fluorosis and childhood trauma. Add to that I have incredibly sensitive teeth, so I didn’t think teeth whitening was really helpful or possible for me any longer.
When Smile Brilliant reached out to me about trying their teeth whitening system for sensitive teeth, I was both skeptical and intrigued. I’m all for experimenting a bit more in an effort to bring more information to all of you, so I accepted the challenge and began trying their product. Read on for my experience and how you can win your very own teeth whitening system from Smile Brilliant.
- Smile Brilliant gifted me the kit for this post. All opinions presented are my own and without influence. -
As I mentioned, I am an avid coffee and wine drinker and have been for years, if not decades, at this point. But even before my staining indulgences, I have always longed for brighter, whiter teeth with the belief that it just wasn’t possible for me. Despite that belief, I did try and try to make my teeth whiter with whatever over-the-counter whitening system I could afford. I tried multiple versions of whitening strips that would slip around my teeth and were incredibly hard to keep in place. Plus, they irritated and discolored my gums. I tried non-custom trays with similar results, with the addition of the trays being bulky and affected my sensitive gag-reflex constantly. (My tongue is a bit big for my mouth due to my thyroid condition, so there is limited real estate in there.) Charcoal paste was also on the list of whitening solutions I tried, but it can still be abrasive and erode enamel.
For all of these reasons, I was skeptical of this new-to-me Smile Brilliant system. It has been a long time since I tried any teeth whitening solution though, so I thought it was worth a try once again to see how my experience would compare.
Getting Started
After answering a few questions about my dental history, I received a T3 Sensitive System that includes everything you need to get custom-fitted trays and nine applications for both top and bottom teeth. Making your teeth molds involves mixing the included base and catalyst and using the included trays to make indentations of your teeth. This process sounds complicated, but is pretty easy and straight-forward. If you gag easily like I do, I recommend consciously breathing through your nose and counting, or focusing your mind on something else for the two to three minutes you have to keep your teeth in the impression mix. I also had paper towels handy to catch any saliva that wanted to pool up in the process. Likewise, I recommend taking up customer service on their offer to review photos of your impressions, so they can let you know if you need to do them again or not. This will save a bit of time during the process, especially if you need to redo your impressions.
Whitening
Once your quality impressions are received, custom trays are made from your molds to ensure a proper fit during your whitening sessions. These molds arrived rather quickly and I was all set to begin the process. The trays themselves are pretty streamlined and lightweight, so they don’t add bulk to your mouth. I found this refreshing due to that annoying gag reflex I have, and haven’t had an issue with said reflex during my whitening sessions. The trays also stay in place well throughout the sessions. I have never had an issue with them moving or falling out in the slightest.
The sensitivity of my teeth was another issue I was worried about. I have some gaps at the top of a few back teeth that make my teeth more sensitive. This is from years of grinding and jaw clenching. When I applied the whitening gel all the way back, I did have some initial sensitivity that would die down after the first 30 to 40 minutes of wear. (I have been wearing my whitening trays for 45 minutes to 3 hours at a time, depending on my schedule.) The solution was simply to not apply the gel all the way to the back teeth. I also rubbed a little coconut oil on my gums to lessen irritation, but I haven’t had any gum issues whatsoever.
Making time to wear my trays seemed like the biggest task, but they are quite easy to wear at night while watching my favorite television show, reading, playing computer games or doing blog work, washing dishes, etc. I started with shorter time periods and worked my way up depending on my available time frame. The desensitizing gel after whitening has been helpful in calming down any tooth sensitivity and allowing for a comfortable experience.
BUT, you may ask, are your teeth any whiter? And I respond, absolutely they are! I noticed the difference after the first couple applications. Then other people started to notice too. I am still drinking coffee every day and the occasional glass of wine, which also makes the noticeable difference even more incredible to me. However, I have definitely witnessed a difference. Because I am constantly taking photos of myself for work, knowing that my teeth are whiter gives me more confidence in my appearance and makes it one less insecurity that my brain no longer dwells on. And even looking back at my latest television appearance, I can see how much brighter my smile is, not only because of the whitening but because of the confidence it has also given me.
If you’ve been skeptical of teeth whitening systems or have tried products in the past with little to no result and a lot of frustration, I encourage you to try the Smile Brilliant system. Smile Brilliant is also giving one lucky winner a kit valued at $149, but they’ve also offered a discount of 15% (Use code: divinemrsdiva15) if you’d like to purchase your own kit.
Professional Teeth Whitening
No comments