White teeth. Oy.
We all want them, some of us have them, and some of us are on the Dull-Smile-Train, beep beep! I have quite the history with teeth whitening – actually with my mouth/smile/teeth in general. So let’s start at the very beginning, yes?
Let’s begin with 11-year-old Kira. She had QUITE the thumb-sucking habit from an early age, and suffered some seriously bucked teeth. Braces were inevitable, and they came in fast and furious in the 6th grade. (Did anyone else think colored bands the coolest?) Braces were terrible, but they did their job, and by freshman year of high school it was time for them to come off. I can honestly pinpoint my insecurity surrounding my smile to the following moment: as my orthodontist removed my braces, he said to my mom, “I can recommend a great plastic surgeon for her gummy smile.” What the actual $@#! Who says that in ear-shot of a 14-year-old girl?!?! Needless to say, the seed of insecurity was planted, and it has grown abundantly throughout my life.
My first run-in with the Whiter-Smile-Phenomenon was sophomore year of high school. I’d had said braces removed, and noticed spots and yellowing. I must have dropped some teeth-whitening hints, because for Christmas my mom got me Crest whitestrips. They were brand-new at the time, so I was pretty pumped. Ever the rule-follower that I was, I followed the directions to the T and applied the whitestrips to my top row of teeth for a week, before tackling the bottom. I guess the idea was for you to see the drastic difference? Anyway, though I am a rule-follower, I’m also easily distracted, and by the time it came to take care of the bottom row, I’d lost interest (and if I’m being honest, I got lazy). So I went the next few years with a dazzling upper row, and a still yellowed and spotty lower row. Not my best look.
Next came the professional-grade whitening route, which involved me going into a routine dentist visit, mentioning I wanted white teeth, and leaving with a new set of trays and gel. What I didn’t realize, was those puppies cost seriously big bucks. Let’s just say my mother did not appreciate the “surprise” dental bill in the mail (sorry, Mom!). But I did use them, and I did see results, so I was finally finding some peace with my smile.
Not long after that, I started drinking coffee. A lot of coffee. Black coffee. So, yeah, you get the picture. My pearly whites slowly started to become a sallow shade of ivory and before long, I felt like I was back to the lackluster smile of my youth. Which is when I thought it would be a grand idea to purchase a groupon for Zoom whitening – an in-office laser treatment at the dentist. Because what could go wrong with a $600-value whitening treatment that cost only $35?!
Answer: a lot.
I went in for my treatment and left with some of the worst tooth-sensitivity I’ve ever experienced. It felt like sharp pains shooting down through the nerves of my teeth, into my jaw. Not to mention, my teeth were not any whiter! I spent the next week involuntarily covering my mouth in pain when the sharp sensations would hit. I couldn’t tolerate hot or cold foods or drinks, and it took weeks to get my mouth feeling back to somewhat normal.
That’s where I though my teeth-whitening saga ended. I figured I’d probably worn off every last bit of enamel anyway, so better to suck it up and accept my drab smile for what it was: hopeless.
Turns out I was wrong. Because today I’m here to tell you I’ve found a way to whiten my teeth easily, effectively, and without any sensitivity or pain.
With my sister’s wedding approaching I desperately wanted a dazzling smile. Luckily, I discovered Smile Brilliant. They send you the ingredients to make your own custom trays, and their whitening gel got my teeth looking super white in just a few days. And it’s gentle enough for sensitive teeth. Check out the countless testimonials (with before and after pictures included) and learn about the benefits of custom teeth whitening trays.
The process is fast and simple. Sign up for Smile Brilliant online and receive your tray kit delivered to your door. They provide step by step instructions, along with online videos to help you create your teeth molds. Then you mail your molds using the pre-paid envelope included in your kit and in about two weeks, you receive your new custom trays! You can choose from regular or sensitive whitening gel – but either way I recommend using the desensitizing gel after each whitening session. This totally helps take any sensitivity away and allows you to whiten multiple days in a row without any discomfort! The recommended starting time is 45 minutes, but you can safely whiten for up to 3 hours. I started out with 45 minute sessions, then bumped it up to 1.5 hours, and finally one 3-hour session.
Everyone has been telling me how white my teeth look – I’m not joking. I’m so happy to be rocking some pearly whites for Tess’ wedding on Saturday! Now I can feel confident I won’t look back on photos from the big day, wishing for a whiter smile. Oh also, I should mention, I used only two of the three gel syringes, so I have an entire spare one for touch-ups throughout the next year!
I truly enjoyed my experience with Smile Brilliant and am so happy with the results. If you’ve got any questions or want to know more, leave me a comment below!
