Enjoy Summer with a Brighter Smile–Enter to Win a Smile Brilliant Teeth Whitening Kit!

Welcome to the {second annual} Hello Summer Giveaway Hop,
hosted by Lindsey Blogs and Viva Veltoro.

The days are getting longer and hotter and we’re saying Hello to Summer in fun giveaway style! Beat the heat and hop around to all the participating bloggers’ giveaways at the bottom of this post. Also, be sure to enter to win the GRAND PRIZE for this event, an ULTIMATE Backyard Prize Package courtesy of Step2!

Have you ever noticed that summer brings more pictures? The weather warms up and we all head back outdoors after a long winter, and suddenly those cameras (and phone cameras) are clicking more frequently as we do fun things with our families and friends. We go for a picnic, take a vacation, go hiking…the activities are countless, and since it’s super easy to snap a picture, we do it.

For most of us, that means we’re showing our teeth to the world more and more, and if you’re self-conscious about the color of your teeth, it puts a real damper on the fun.

So, what to do? Teeth-whitening has always been appealing to me, and there are definitely options. From professional jobs done at your dentist’s office to whitening strips you can buy at your local drug store, there are a variety of ways you can whiten your teeth. Unfortunately, they’re not always good options. Having your teeth professionally whitened can be incredibly expensive. Those strips and trays you can buy at the store don’t always fit properly, or don’t get every single tooth, or just flat out don’t work. But I have the solution!

I was recently sent a complimentary teeth whitening kit, and I am super excited to tell you about my experience with Smile Brilliant.

Smile Brilliant is an at-home whitening system, but it’s unlike anything you could buy at a store. With this system, you’ll get whitening trays that are custom-fitted and handcrafted at a lab by dental technicians – this means your trays will be formed to fit your teeth exactly. No more one-size-fits-all nonsense! Once you receive your trays and kit, you’ll be whitening with ease. Let me show you how simple this process is:

Step One: Receive your kit and make your impressions

You’ll get a fancy kit in the mail that includes easy instructions. In the kit, you’ll find your mixing components and trays in which you’ll make your tooth impressions. I admit I was a little overwhelmed when I opened the package, but let me assure you: this process is much easier than you think. The instructions walk you carefully through every step, and you’ll have your impressions ready to mail to the lab. (All postage is included, by the way. No going to the post office!).

Your kit also contains the whitening and desensitizing gels you will use when you start whitening your teeth, and you can set those aside until you receive your custom trays.

Once you receive your trays, you’re ready to start making those pearly whites even whiter! Here are my trays:

The above picture includes my plaster molds. I just want to point out that those are not normally included with their trays, because they’re not necessary for anything – we just wanted to show you how much quality work goes into this process.

Now for the whitening process:

Just a quick note about how whitening works: the natural color of a tooth resides in the dentin, which lies below the enamel (a clear, hard protective coating). The color of dentin varies by person, but very few people have bright white dentin. Once your stains are removed, the natural color of your dentin will be the color your teeth “become.” So while you’ll definitely see changes, just remember that no whitening brand (not even the professional whitening you’ll get from the dentist) can promise flawlessly bright white teeth.

Now that we’ve covered that: as I mentioned before, your kit will include both whitening and desensitizing gels. The whitening gel is professional strength, and it’s formulated with the highest quality standards. It has a “sticky gel” formula that ensures even distribution and makes sure that it properly adheres to your teeth during the whitening process. It’s also packaged in a nifty “syringe” design; it has a small tip and you can “push” the gel out like you would with any kind of syringe. It makes it very easy to get a no-mess and even application.

The desensitizing gel is made to help eliminate any tooth sensitivity you might encounter. The instructions call for this gel after you use the whitening product, but if your teeth are especially sensitive, you can use the gel both before and after. (I have very sensitive teeth, so that’s what I had to do).

Also, just a note: these syringes hold more than just one treatment! In fact, one syringe is good for 3-4 sessions, so they’ll carry you far. And if you run out of either the whitening or desensitizing gels, you can easily order more gel from their website. Also: the gels have a shelf life of 2 years when refrigerated, and 1 year at room temperature. If you have leftover gel, you can store it for more whitening down the road.

So how well does it work? Here’s my before and after:

I’m really happy with it! My teeth weren’t terribly stained before, but there is definitely a big difference in my before/after. My teeth are more vibrant and have lost that sad “dull” look. Everyone’s situation is different, so results can vary a bit, but many people should be able to see really great results within 5-7 applications. Keep in mind that the goal with teeth-whitening shouldn’t be a perfectly bright white, but you should see stain-free results.

As for me, since my teeth are more sensitive than I realized, I went through the process pretty slowly to make it easier on myself. I used the desensitizing gel before and after, and I also only whitened every couple of days. At this point I’m happy with my results, so from here I’ll only use the gel every couple of months to maintain my results. If you use all of your gel and think you can still get more results, you can always order more gel from their website.

If you’re like me, you probably have some questions about at-home tooth whitening, and might be concerned about safety or sensitivity issues. Let me share a few articles with you that address those questions:

As the articles state, like with any other whitening product, there are minor risks. You might experience tooth sensitivity, which we’ve covered. There could also be some gum irritation from the peroxide, and this often pops up in the first or second application. You’ll find details about these and other concerns in those articles, so make sure to check them out.

Overall? I give Smile Brilliant a big smile and two thumbs up! They were extremely helpful throughout the entire process and promptly answered all questions I had along the way, and the website has a live-chat option during business hours for quick and easy help. The shipping times are really fast, and everything arrived in perfect condition and gave me a perfect fit. I absolutely encourage you to check them out if you are interested in whitening your teeth, because I’m certain you’ll love them too. To learn more about Smile Brilliant and kick-start summer with a brighter smile, check out their website. It’s incredibly informative and will answer any questions I haven’t covered in my post. You can also follow Smile Brilliant on Facebook and Twitter.

Smile Brilliant is generously offering Game On Mom readers a chance to win a Smile Brilliant Professional Teeth Whitening Tray Creation Kit plus 3 whitening and 3 desensitizing gel syringes (ARV $139.95)! Open worldwide, but if the winner is located outside of the US he/she will be required to cover the cost of shipping his/her impressions back to Smile Brilliant. Must be 18 or older to enter. Good luck!

Entry -Form

Don’t forget to enter to win the GRAND PRIZE for this event, an ULTIMATE Backyard Prize Package courtesy of Step2, featuring their Home Run Baseball Trainer, a Clubhouse Climber, and Naturally Playful Sand & Water Table! This prize package is valued at over $700 and will keep your kiddos entertained all summer long! You can enter at Lindsey Blogs or Viva Veltoro.

Lindsey Blogs, Viva Veltoro, and the Hello Summer participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.