{"id":4987,"date":"2019-11-05T21:29:25","date_gmt":"2019-11-06T03:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neverdonewithfun.com\/staging\/5228\/?p=4987"},"modified":"2019-11-05T21:30:32","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T03:30:32","slug":"at-home-teeth-whitening-self-care-starts-with-a-smile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neverdonewithfun.com\/staging\/5228\/2019\/11\/05\/at-home-teeth-whitening-self-care-starts-with-a-smile\/","title":{"rendered":"At-Home Teeth Whitening: Self-Care Starts With a Smile"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How I Whitened My Sensitive Teeth Without Pain and Transformed My Nighttime Self-Care Routine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a working mom of two young kids, I can multitask with the best of them. In the 90 minutes between waking up and leaving for school\/work, I can get the small humans fed and dressed and out the door, pack lunches for them and me, pack school bags, check homework, check email, put on makeup, straighten hair, prep dinner, scroll Instagram, and maybe even hot glue a miscellaneous DIY project. I frequently break a sweat by the time I buckle my kids into the car by precisely 8:04 a.m. — but I still get it all done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evening is a different story. Yes, I pick up two kids from two different locations, get dinner on the table, help with homework, help with bathtime, read bedtime stories, and try to fit in my own workout. I still always get it all done. But once the kids are safely asleep in their beds, I’m ready to be asleep in mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 8:30 p.m., I have no energy left for my own self-care. Drag myself into the shower, try to remember when I last washed my hair and if I could possibly squeeze in one more day of dry shampoo. Whoops, couldn’t even be bothered to take off today’s makeup. Skipped the moisturizer again. Too tired to floss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, multitasking mom life. So when I was approached by Smile Brilliant<\/a> to try their at-home teeth whitening system, I was torn. On one hand, the whole professional-grade process is done from home with custom-fit trays you mold yourself and mail back to have personalized whitening trays created. No dentist appointment required. On the other hand, if I can’t even floss my teeth many nights, do I really have time in my evening for one more thing to get done?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I have family photos for holiday cards coming up, and a quick review of my recent Insta posts<\/a> confirms in my mind that coffee has taken a toll on my smile. I’ve been a little self-conscious about it, so I seized this as the opportunity I didn’t know I’d been waiting for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My less-than-brilliant smile<\/em>. Probably need to cut back on the endless cups of cold-brew.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This post is sponsored by Smile Brilliant<\/a>. All opinions are my own.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 2-Minute Highlight Reel: How It Works<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Smile Brilliant kit is mailed to you with instructions for making your impressions. You mix two putties together, press it into trays and then carefully sink in your teeth until the material hardens (3 minutes). I was intimidated by the process but it was super-easy and I was done in less than 20 minutes with impressions to be proud of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then you mail the impressions back in the postage-paid envelope and wait. Less than two weeks later, your custom-fit whitening trays arrive at your house and you’re ready to begin whitening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whitening gel<\/a> and desensitizing gel are part of the starter kit, in disposable plastic syringes that make it easy to dispense the right amount of gel into your trays. Each syringe has enough for 3-4 whitening applications (both top and bottom teeth). Leave the trays with gel in place for a minimum of 45 minutes (up to 3 hours if you don’t have tooth sensitivity and want to fast-track your whitening results). Rinse, brush, then follow with a 15-minute application of desensitizing gel<\/a>. Go to bed with whiter teeth, and repeat the process the next day (or every other day based on sensitivity).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Process: What I Discovered As I Whitened<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I was envisioning the custom whitening trays<\/a> as rigid, uncomfortable mouthguard-type devices, but the Smile Brilliant trays are actually lightweight, flexible, unobtrusive and fit my teeth perfectly. What that means is wearing them for the prescribed 45 minutes (or up to 3 hours) of whitening isn’t a chore like I expected it to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In fact, here’s a whole list of all the things I did while I was whitening in the first few days:<\/p>\n\n\n\n