Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. This post was sponsored by Smile Brilliant. All opinions are my own.
Almost everyone wants whiter teeth these days, including me. I had been wanting to whiten my teeth lately, but I never knew how to achieve that pearly white smile without spending a lot on professional whitening at the dentist.
In the past, I’ve tried using over-the-counter whitening strips and just never saw a difference. At one point, I even tried that charcoal powder that everyone was talking about, and wow, that was just a HUGE black mess. Never again. Plus, charcoal is actually abrasive to the enamel, regardless of how fine it is, and can actually be harmful to both your teeth and gums. Yikes!
It just seemed so difficult to find an affordable whitening system that I could easily use at home and that would actually get me the results I wanted. And with all the tea and red wine that I drink, my teeth were definitely in need of some whitening pretty badly.
When Smile Brilliant reached out to me to try out their teeth whitening kit, I was very excited. I had not heard of them before so I did some research and found that this system could possibly be exactly what I was looking for.
What is Smile Brilliant?
Smile Brilliant is a teeth whitening system developed to allow customers to whiten their teeth at home. With this system, you can achieve professional results without wasting time or money at the dentist’s office or on over-the-counter whitening products that never seem to work. Did you know that the average dentist charges over $500 for this exact same service? You’re getting such a great deal with this system!
In order for Smile Brilliant to offer you professional results, they provide you with custom-fitted whitening trays. These trays make sure every tooth is receiving a consistent coverage of whitening gel, which makes this the most effective whitening procedure offered by cosmetic dentists. PLUS, these trays are the exact same custom-fitted trays that your dentist offers!
What's included in your whitening kit?
When you receive your package, you will find 2 impression trays, 3 sets of impression material (base + catalyst putty), professional teeth whitening gel, desensitizing gel (only included in “sensitive” packages), instruction guides, and an envelope with prepaid postage.
Step 1:
The first thing you need to do is make your impressions with the putty and plastic trays. To be honest, this part seemed a bit confusing at first. But when I actually did it, it was a lot easier than it looked. They provide step-by-step instructions with photos that are very helpful to use for this step. Don’t worry if you mess up the first time because they provide you with 3 sets of putty, so you have one extra in case there are any problems. My first try didn’t come out the greatest, so having that extra set on hand was definitely a plus.
Once your dental impressions are ready, all you do is stick them into the envelope that they provide you with and mail it back to their lab. Super easy!
Step 2:
Once the lab receives your impressions, your custom-fitted trays will be created and mailed back to you within 3-5 business days.
When I received my trays, I was pretty impressed with how well they were made and how perfectly they fit my teeth. I was actually expecting them to feel a bit bulky, but that definitely was not the case.
Step 3:
Start whitening!
Smile Brilliant recommends starting with whitening applications of 45 minutes to an hour first, and then working your way up to 3 hours depending on your sensitivity level. If you do have sensitive teeth, it’s fine if you do shorter sessions and skipping a day in between. Don’t worry because sensitivity is common with any whitening product.
Before and after photos...
Here’s what my teeth looked like before I started the whitening process:
And here’s after:
Here are some side-by-side comparisons:
My experience with Smile Brilliant!
Whitening results:
I am very impressed because I saw results immediately after my first session! It was pretty shocking to me, as I had assumed it would take at least a few sessions to really see any difference. AND…each time that I whitened my teeth, they just kept getting whiter and whiter! It definitely feels like I’ve had years of stains removed. AMAZING.
Now, of course they’re not a crazy bright white, but it’s a very nice, natural white that is perfect for me and exactly what I wanted.
Sensitivity level:
For the first day of my whitening, I left the gel on for about 45 minutes. I then gradually increased the sessions to 3 hours within the next few days. However when I reached 3 hours, I noticed that my teeth and gums started to feel slightly sensitive.
A great tip that Smile Brilliant suggests for people with irritation or sensitivity is to apply a thin layer of Vaseline or coconut oil to your gums. What I did was decrease my sessions to 1-2 hours and apply every other day. I also applied a thin layer of Vaseline to my gums which really helped as well. I had no sensitivity after switching to this process.
Pros and Cons...
Let’s start with the pros.
I love that this system makes it so easy to whiten your teeth while in the comfort of your own home. I do not enjoy going to extra appointments other than the necessary ones such as dentist cleaning, doctor checkups, etc.
This system is a lot less expensive than getting your teeth professionally whitened at your dentist’s office. I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford to spend over $500 just to get my teeth whitened.
Using this whitening system may be a slower process than just getting it done at your dentist’s office, however, it’s super easy to apply the whitening gel and then go on with what you would normally do. I was free to wash the dishes, do some work, watch tv…whatever it was that I did after dinner. You’re not stuck in a dentist’s chair sitting uncomfortably for long periods at a time.
Now on to the cons…
I drink a ton of water. Like…a TON. I drink water maybe every 15 minutes, unless I’m out doing something that doesn’t allow me to take a sip of water. The main con for me while using this system is that I’m unable to drink any water while I’m whitening my teeth. That was very difficult for me. But if I think about the whole picture, skipping my water intake to whiten my teeth for 2-3 hours is still worth it. Just know I’ll be downing an entire glass of water after. 🙂
Another con is that I did have slight sensitivity, but an easy fix to that problem was decreasing the length of my whitening sessions and applying a thin layer of Vaseline to my gums.
Final Thoughts?
Having a whiter smile has definitely given me a confidence boost, especially when I talk to people up close now. I don’t feel the need to cover my mouth when I smile and laugh anymore, which I used to do a lot before whitening my teeth.
Overall, I am extremely happy with my whitening results and will definitely be using this system again. This system is not only easy to use, but I’ve found it to be very effective. Plus, the kit came with more than enough whitening gel that I still have some leftover that I can use in the future when I feel like having an even brighter smile!
If you would like to try Smile Brilliant’s products, feel free to click the link below and use the code: dailytangolife15 for 15% off your order.
Happy smiling!
