In all honesty I’ve never considered teeth whitening because I actually didn’t feel my teeth needed it. Well that is until my darling daughter pulled her serious face & said as a matter-of-fact “Mummy your teeth are rather yellow”
Waaaaahhhhh???
Crikey really? I grabbed my specs & ran to a mirror poste haste. On closer inspection I could see she was right. In particular my side teeth were quite discoloured, how did I not notice this? When did this even happen? O.K perhaps I do need to whiten & brighten the not so pearly whites after all?
But wait…doesn’t it hurt? And what about that vile bleachy taste in my mouth, ick no. As I considered all the reasons NOT to whiten my teeth one thing was glaringly obvious, I didn’t have a clue how it worked.
1. TEETH WHITENING HURTS
Whilst tooth sensitivity is very common particularly after whitening, the desensitising gel reduces it dramatically. In fact I felt absolutely zero pain or even the slightest sensitivity at all. I was thoroughly surprised by this because I’m 50 years old & my teeth are actually thinning. I totally expected to feel a great deal of sensitivity, during as well as after treatment. In truth I delayed starting this treatment for fear of the pain associated with it. My friends who have whitened their teeth, both professionally & at home always complained of this side effect. Thankfully Smile Brilliant has a sensitive system & a non-sensitive system category which also helps deal with this. Additionally there are 3 choices of kit within these categories, depending on the level of whitening you want to achieve.
2. TEETH WHITENING GEL TASTES DISGUSTING
This particular whitening gel definitely DOES NOT taste at all bad. Neither does the desensitising gel. I imagined a bleach type taste that would make me want to constantly spit, yuk. On the contrary I noticed a kind of non flavour, certainly inoffensive & easy to swallow although there was no excessive saliva in my mouth during the process. After I removed the trays of desensitising gel I didn’t even brush my teeth! Smile Brilliant recommend leaving the residue gel on your teeth to further protect them so this was ideal.
3. THE TRAYS ARE UNCOMFORTABLE
Erm actually no, didn’t even notice them. Although whitening at night before bed is recommended, I did not do this. As I work from home I decided to try whitening first thing in the morning & I have to say, it was the perfect time for me. Here’s my routine – Up at 7am to get the children ready for school & make their lunches then I have my coffee & cereal. At 8.15am I see them off to school on the bus which stops outside our house, too easy right? Next I brush my teeth with only water, no toothpaste as this slows down the whitening process. Then I dry them & insert my top & bottom trays containing a thin line of gel. Now I work. That’s right, I crack on with work.
You see the trays are so light & precisely moulded to my teeth that I forget I’m wearing them! That’s why it’s incredibly important to read the instructions thoroughly before making your moulds. I must admit I was nervous to make them at first, yet in the end it couldn’t have been easier! The detailed step by step guide covers all possible mistakes before you begin plus they give you extra putty if you mess up the first one. Here’s a close-up photo of me wearing my trays. I bet you can’t tell! One day I even went shopping & spoke to the cashier whilst wearing them.
4. WHITENING DAMAGES TOOTH ENAMEL
O.K this is something I assumed, basically because you know…how the hell can this stuff whiten teeth without being incredibly toxic?
Well in actual fact this gel is vegan & quite gentle although that’s not the reason. When I read the literature I discovered how utterly clueless I was. Whitening doesn’t “bleach” the teeth at all! Imagine your teeth as a microscopic sponge. The active ingredients in the gel temporarily open the pores of the sponge to lift out years of staining. It’s all about removing the old stains to restore the natural white colour of your teeth. Following each whitening session, your teeth naturally remineralize & rehydrate which is further helped by the desensitising gel so you mustn’t skip this step.
5. IT TAKES FOREVER TO GET TEETH WHITE
By this I mean the amount of time I had to wear the trays during each session. Smile Brilliant suggest anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours. They advise starting with 45 minutes & building up to 3 hours thus reducing possible sensitivity. That said, I decided to do an hour a day but as I mentioned earlier it was so unnoticeable that I ended up doing 2 hours on the first day! Followed by 30 minutes wearing the trays with desensitising gel. This took me to roughly 11am, sometimes 11.30 if I was consumed by work. After I removed the trays, I waited another hour before having lunch which was pretty perfect timing indeed.
In the end it was a total of 5 days before I was satisfied with the colour. What do you think of the results? I suppose I could’ve whitened them further? In any case I have plenty of gel left-over which I’ll probably use at the beginning of Summer for a little extra brightness. Although even if I had used it all, I could always buy extra on the website. Mark’s so impressed with my new pearly whites now he wants to whiten his teeth too…
Guess what? He’s in luck & so are YOU! Smile Brilliant are GIVING AWAY $149 CREDIT FOR YOUR OWN CUSTOMIZED WHITENING KIT!
I’m thrilled to offer this competition internationally so all of you can enter. However, even if you don’t win you can still enjoy 15% off your order just for entering, using the code – michelletylerblog15 – YAY!
Just click on this link & GOOD LUCK LADIES! & Mark heheheh – not really, I’m just kidding, he’s not allowed to enter.
Oh & one last thing I must mention – During this process I gave up red wine & tea. Still had my one cup of coffee in the morning though, I’m no martyr.
Ciao my darlings xx
*Disclosure – Thank you to Smile Brilliant for partnering on this post, all opinions are my own.
How Much Is Teeth Whitening
Comments ( 14 )
Michele Grant
Hi – really interested in your teeth whitening experience. Hey in US, it’s a must! I had mine done in the dentist chair about a decade ago. Never again. Really sensitive after effect. Gagging feeling while it was done. Roll on 5 years had a mould done inject gel, wear overnight for 5 days. Whiter teeth. Loads of comments about looking well, happy etc. No one spotted it was teeth whitening. Then I let it drift. I do occasionally top up and effect lasts a long while. Reminds me. Need a top up. Didn’t know about desenitising gel. Will follow up with dentist.
I’d say worth doing.
By the way, my dentist recommended never whitening your teeth whiter than the whites of your eyes. That’s when it starts looking odd.
Thanks for another good post.
MT
OMG Michele over night! Bloody hell there is absolutely no way on earth I’d do that. I struggle with sleep as it is 😉
I like that advice about not going whiter than the whites of your eyes, I think a few celebs haven’t heard that one heehee…
Do you know what? The desensitising gel is probably the most important element of this process because it makes the whole thing bearable.
Thanks for your fab comment xx
Marilee Gramith
I have friends who drink all staining liquids through a straw to maintain those pearly whites.
You’re really a lovely and feisty Englishwoman Michelle. I’ve been following and thoroughly enjoying youf blog for a few months. This is my first comment. Welcome to the U.S.! Sorry about our President…:-)
MT
I’m laughing so hard right now Marilee…Love you woman! xx
Lizzy
Ooooh, it’s made such a difference. although, I didn’t think for one minute that they needed it. but, the “After” photo shows what a difference it can make. And, if I may say so, you have a beautiful smile and lovely teeth. xxx
MT
Thanks Liz! I totally see the difference but like you I was OK with the whiteness of teeth before. I must admit I prefer them now though 😉
Lisa the Sequinist
You and Mark have been in the US for five minutes and you’re already doing American white teeth! Hahaha! I think it makes SUCH a difference, especially if, like you and me, you drink a lot of coffee or tea (and red wine). Unfortunately these things aren’t good for your tooth colour. Yours look totally fabulous; I am going to investigate. I used to have mine done professionally and OMG was it painful. I said never again, but I do use whitening strips and toothpaste. ANYWAY, I’m off to investigate your version further… xxx
No Fear of Fashion
Gee Lisa, I had my teeth whitened twice at the dentist and it didn’t hurt at all.
Greetje
MT
You are a tough Dutch Woman 😉
MT
I KNOW! How funny are we? OMG Lisa it’s allllll about dentistry here, Americans really know how to do great teeth!
No Fear of Fashion
It took me years before I dared whitening my teeth. Like you I thought it would damage my enamel.
After I saw a photo of me and a friend laughing together and me having brown teeth, I couldn’t care less about any consequences anymore.
I have had them done twice now. Four years ago and last year. Both at the dentist as that took the littlest time (3 hours of discomfort and that is it).
Unfortunately my teeth have never been white, not even when I was a child. And as you pointed out, they aren’t bleached, so my teeth look a whole lot more acceptable but not white alas.
Greetje
fatima Truscott
Andy has tried a very similar method to this to whiten his. He was petrified of looking like Ross in Friends so on the first few occasions didn’t keep them in for long enough. He has sensitive teeth too so was worried about the effect but the results were brilliant. I’m tempted too but really need mine straightened. How’s K getting on with her braces? We’re on our penultimate appointment now xxx
MT
Bahahaha I had totally forgotten about that Friends episode FT! OMG I need to find it stat!
As for straightening, I have a treat in store for you my friend. Coming up in a couple of weeks is my post about Invisalign. Have you heard of it? Well that’s what Kiki is doing now. On our first visit to the Orthodontist in America they told us about this incredible treatment. It is so perfect for you. Kiki loves it, no more loose brackets or elastics, no more blisters or ulcers & NO MORE METAL. You can’t even tell she’s wearing them! xx
Knight Street Dentists
Great smile and good looking teeth. With proper care and dental check up white teeth can be achieve.