Everyone has their vices. Mine are coffee and red wine. As a busy gal I rely on the caffeine boost from a cup of coffee every morning to get me going and a glass of red wine to wind me down at the end of the day. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I looked in the mirror and noticed the havoc my daily vices were wrecking on my teeth. My once pearly whites were looking more like the old ivory keys on my grandma’s piano.
Unfortunately, old habits die hard, and I knew that I wouldn’t’ be able to cut coffee and red wine out of my life. I tried to start drinking both beverages out of a straw, but that just sucked (no pun intended) the pleasure right out each sip. Besides, I had to save the turtles!
Even if did change my beverage habits, I knew I had to take action to restore my teeth back to brilliant white they used to be. Over the course of a couple of years, I tried every whitening system under the sun. Here is my honest review and experience with each:
Whitening Toothpaste
First, I started off with an expensive whitening toothpaste. While I noticed a minimal difference immediately after brushing my teeth, shortly after the yellowing would creep back in. I found out that this is because whitening toothpastes only can remove the outer most surface stains. These toothpastes can really only make your teeth one shade later which is barely noticeable by the naked eye.
Whitening Strips
I knew I needed to invest in something more effective, so I tried whitening strips. After a week of using them my teeth appeared to be a few shades lighter on areas on my front teeth, but the color was totally uneven. It was especially noticeable when I smiled, since the strips are only applied to your front teeth. I also started experienced tooth sensitivity when I ate ice cream and other cold foods. A few months later, my teeth were back their original color and I didn’t feel like investing in something that made my teeth hurt.
LED Whitening System
Next I tried an at home LED whitening system. Dentist use LED light as a whitening method so I figured I’d give I a try. It was fairly expensive, around $100, so I was expecting good results. The kit came with a few whitening gel pens, and a mouthpiece that lights up with a blue LED light. First you apply the whitening gel to your teeth, and then you put the LED piece in your mouth for 15 minutes. It seemed fast and easy, but I found I difficult to keep the mouthpiece in place. Again, I noticed my teeth were slightly whiter, but not by much. Later when I did some research, I learned that the at-home light used in the mouthpiece does not use the same frequency used by dentists – which is required to speed up the active ingredients in the whitening gel. Therefore, these systems are usually pretty ineffective.
Whitening Tray System
At this point, I was ready to bite the bullet and spend the $500-$1000 dollars for professional whitening at my dentist’s office. As I contemplating it, I was approached by Smile Brilliant to try their at-home teeth whitening system. Based on my previous experiences, I was skeptical to try yet ANOTHER at home whitening system.
This time I decided to do some online research BEFORE I tried another product. There were so many positive reviews with before and after pictures. It seemed too good to be true, but the results were hard to ignore. I decided to give the at-home whitening thing one last shot!
Smile Brilliant – How it Works
Smile Brilliant’s system uses custom-fitted teeth whitening trays. They have several different options and price points based on your stain level and tooth sensitivity. I chose the T6 non-sensitive system for average stains that costs $159. It’s similar to professional whitening tray method many dentist’s use. However, with Smile Brilliant there is no need to go to a dentist’s office to get your tray’s created. Instead, you create your own impressions at home that you can mail directly to their professional lab service. This professional dental lab makes an exact model of your teeth and creates custom-fitted trays, exactly like your dentist would make. This innovative model eliminates the expensive costs associated with the dentist as the “middle-man” and the savings are passed on to you.
Smile Brilliant’s Whitening Process
I am not going to lie, when I received the package with the system in the mail, the thought of creating my own impressions made me nervous. I get my nails, hair, eyebrows, etc. done by professional beauty services for a reason – I am impatient, and just not good at that kind of stuff!
Luckily, when I opened the package and read through the instructions and contents, I was pleasantly surprised. They provide step-by-step instructions and FAQ’s for the entire process that are very detailed and thorough. Creating the impressions was super-fast and easy. Seriously, a 3rd grader could have probably made them! An hour after opening the package, I had already dropped of my impressions in the mail with the prepaid self-addressed envelope provided.
Smile Brilliant’s customer service is amazing. I was notified immediately when my impressions were received, processed, and then again when my trays had been created and shipped.
Less than 2 weeks after shipping my impressions, I received my trays in the mail.
My Whitening Strategy
The rest of the process was as easy as it gets! I just filled the trays with the whitening gel provided in the original package and inserted them in my mouth. Since the trays were custom-fitted they fit comfortably around my teeth. Smile Brilliant recommended starting with applications of 45 minutes to an hour and then working my way up to applications of 3 hours as my teeth became more comfortable. They also provide desensitizing gel to help eliminate any possibility of tooth sensitivity (I never experienced any!).
As someone who is super busy and on the go 24/7, I found the most convenient time to whiten was while I was at work. For 2 weeks, every afternoon after eating lunch I would brush my teeth and insert the trays. Honestly, most of the time I forgot I had them in. would even go to meetings with them, and nobody even noticed!
My Results
After I had completed the system, I could not believe my results. My teeth were SO many shades whiter. Friends and family noticed too. I felt great and relieved that I had finally found an affective, AFFORDABLE product to combat my teeth stains. I also saved myself a trip to the dentist. I would highly recommend Smile Brilliant’s system to anyone.
Smile Brilliant Whitening System Giveaway
Smile Brilliant has been kind enough to giveaway one of their teeth whitening systems to one of my lucky readers and offer a 15% off store wide code that never expires! You can enter below!
ENTER HERE: www.smilebrilliant.com/g/teeniegeniestyle
15% off store wide code: teeniegeniestyle15
