How to Whiten Your Teeth Like a Pro, Even With Sensitive Teeth

I know I’m not the only one who wants whiter teeth, but I know that I don’t want to turn into Ross from that episode of Friends. You know the one…

I’ve tried some of those strip whiteners in the past, and all it seemed to do was cause sensitivity and not make my teeth any whiter. I’ve also used whitening toothpaste, but I don’t think it really does anything at all. I’ve also thought about the laser whitening that is done at the dentist’s office, but who has the time or money for that. With my work travel and life, I’m lucky most of my actual teeth cleanings at the dentist work out. Why do you have to schedule them 6 months in advance?! While I do want white teeth (who doesn’t) I’m not willing to pay a ton of money to do it. I’m vain, but not that vain. Whiteners I’ve tried in the past don’t seem to last, you have to continuously keep using them, and my priorities for spending money lie elsewhere, like buying leggings. So while it’s something I’ve considered doing, I just haven’t put the time or effort into it yet.

I hadn’t previously heard of Smile Brilliant but when they reached out to me, it seemed like something I’d actually be interested in. It seemed like the ideal product, and it’s reasonably priced. Their website has a lot of informative information that made me comfortable considering working with them.

Questions I had

News flash I’m NOT A DENTIST, and I like my teeth. I had braces for a long time, so I’m not willing to damage my teeth for no reason. I had some questions before I started. BTW, You should always consult your dentist for questions and concerns.

• First off, is this safe? I know you can go to your dentist and get your teeth whitened, and you can get over the counter whiteners, but is it actually safe to do this in your own home? I’d always recommend checking with your dentist first, but whitening doesn’t damage your teeth. You may experience some temporary tooth or gum sensitivity while using, but the process will not damage the enamel of your teeth.
• Is this going to hurt? I have sensitive teeth and the other white strips I’ve tried in the past really irritated my teeth and gums and I did not want to go through that again. Luckily, or unluckily, this is a common problem and Smile Brilliant includes desensitizing gel with the whitening kit. Because I know that I have sensitive teeth, I was told to start using the desensitizing gel, prior to whitening. I did two “treatments” with the desensitizing gel before I ever used the whitening gel.
• Will my teeth be white? Most teeth are not naturally white. The whitening gel will help remove stains that have discolored your teeth, but they will only take your teeth back to their original color. So if you’re expecting your teeth to be bright bright white, that may not be possible.

How does it work?

I did some research and visited the Smile Brilliant FAQ page, and felt a lot better about the entire process. Then I got the box in the mail. So here’s how Smile Brilliant works: they send you a kit to make your own custom molds. You send the molds to them, and within approx. 3 days of receiving them, your custom trays are ready and sent back to you.

Side note: there’s a reason I haven’t been back to the orthodontist to get new retainers made even though I need them. I absolutely HATE the process of making molds of my teeth. I have a small mouth (they usually have to go get smaller trays to make my molds) and I always feel like I’m going to choke on the Play-Doh type stuff, and the gagging. Oh the joys. This is when I began to panic. I don’t even want to do this when a professional is helping me, let alone on my own, at my house. The mental struggle is real my friends!

In truth, making the molds was not as traumatizing as I expected! I did wait a few days, just to muster up the courage to make them (insert a pathetic laughing face). Phew! I also read the directions about 5 times, just to make sure I knew what I was doing. I used my phone as a stopwatch, and I recommend doing this over a sink or with paper towels because you WILL be drooling.

The process goes somewhat like this: mix two different putty colors together, put in mold, keep in mouth for 3 minutes (feels like FOR-EV-ER), drool, remove molds, mail them in prepaid envelope included in box, wait for trays to arrive. I received notification that my dental impressions had arrived safely to their technicians. Then, I patiently waited for my trays to arrive, so I could start the process. I did wonder if I could just skip all this anxiety of making the trays and use my retainers instead, but good thing there is an FAQ page because they definitely say NOT to do this (after receiving my Smile Brilliant trays I understand why). So don’t try it. You can check out all of the FAQ’s right HERE. When I received my trays back, I was surprised to find that they are a very flexible material. They aren’t hard like retainers, which makes them way more comfortable than retainers or Invisalign trays. You can barely tell that you’re wearing them.

The kit came with 4 syringes of whitening gel and 4 syringes of desensitizing gel. I got about 4 treatments out of each syringe, so depending on how many treatments you need, you could have plenty leftover for future use. The kit has very clear instructions that are easy to follow.

The best part of the system is that it’s easy to use. You put the whitening gel in the trays, pop the trays in and go about whatever you were doing. You can watch TV, fold laundry, work, go for a walk, literally anything, and you can barely feel the trays on your teeth. You use the system at your convenience. There’s no waiting around in a dentist chair for over and hour, which makes it perfect for someone who is always busy doing something!

My Before Pictures

I’m really glad that the kit came with the desensitizing gel, because I needed it. Some people may not experience as much sensitivity, lucky you! I first started using the whitening gel for about 45 minutes and then eventually went up to an hour. However, I started having some sensitivity, so I backed it back down to about 45 minutes. I always used the desensitizing gel after each whitening treatment. When my teeth started becoming more sensitive I also started spreading out my usage to every 3-4 days instead of everyday or every other day. While this may take longer to see the final results, it worked better for me!

My Results:

As you can see my teeth weren’t that discolored to begin with, and I was always decently happy with my smile. However, I did have some stains between a couple of teeth and near the gum line. I will say that on a day to day basis I really didn’t notice much of a difference in the color of my teeth. I actually thought they weren’t changing at all. However, seeing the before and after photos I can tell a difference, and in person the staining near the gum line has really improved! I am happy with the results!

My overall impression

• Professional level treatments in your home
• The system is easy to use
• Desensitizing gel is included, which I really appreciated
• You get approximately 16 treatments per kit, so it’s a decent value for your hard earned money
• The results are long lasting

Here’s the fun part! You can enter to win your own free teeth whitening kit from Smile Brilliant. Regardless of whether you win or not, I have a 15% off store wide coupon code! All you have to do is use the code “swagsfitstyle15”