Full disclosure: I received free products in exchange for this blog post. However, all opinions and experiences are my own.

I love coffee. My love of coffee didn’t start when I was pulling all-nighters in uni. It didn’t start when I began working as a barista, either, though that would be a reasonable assumption. My love of coffee started halfway through high school: I was 14 or 15 when I started drinking coffee regularly. Sounds pretty early to be relying on caffeine, right? Well, I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t drinking a daily cuppa (cup of tea), because I’m Scottish, and that’s totally normal for us!

Since I was a child, my drinks of choice have been water and tea, or water and coffee. One of these beverages is great for your teeth and overall health. The others? Not so much! Tea and coffee both stain teeth. I’ve always had relatively yellow teeth (after drinking tannin-filled beverages for two decades? shocking, I know), and, despite my dentists over the years insisting there was no issue — it just happens to some people more significantly than others — I’ve always had a personal issue with it: I’ve always been self-conscious about my yellow teeth.

When I was in high school I tried Crest Whitestrips, and I hated them. I found them super gelatinous, they increased my tooth sensitivity, and they were just too big for my mouth. I tried cutting them in half (length-wise), but then they didn’t fully cover my front top teeth. I was not about to walk around with half-whitened front teeth! After checking out the teeth whitening aisle religiously (and doing some Google searches), I came to the conclusion that my only options would be an at-home whitening kit with a generic mold (at the tender cost of $500+, which was not something I was willing to spend at age 16… or ever) or to get my teeth professionally whitened by the dentist, which they were not willing to do to an adolescent (plus it was way too expensive – close to $1000).

—— 10-ish years later ——

I’m still drinking tea or coffee and water on the daily. I thought I needed it before, but HOLY, MAN, I’m exhausted! I still have yellow-ish teeth that I’m still self-conscious about. I still don’t have an extra $700ish to drop on a professional whitening session (and if I did, that’s realistically not what I would spend it on). I now have super sensitive teeth (thanks, pregnancy x2) to the point that drinking ice water is uncomfortable.

SO, when Smile Brilliant contacted me asking if I’d like to try a customized, science-based, in-home teeth whitening kit (that only costs between $139-$189 USD, or $180-$250 CAD), I couldn’t say no! Smile Brilliant uses the same methods that dentists use: a customized mouthguard filled with hydrogen peroxide (a whitening agent). They customize the entire experience for each user. When you start, you answer questions like:

• Have you tried teeth whitening products before?
• Do you have sensitivity?
• Do you regularly drink coffee, tea, or wine?
• Do you smoke?

The number of recommended whitening and de-sensitizing applications vary based on these answers. Each applicator tube comes with 3-4 applications, which minimizes packing and also makes them easier to use.

When you first get the box, you have to make your molds by mixing a white putty with a blue putty. There’s extra putty just in case you don’t do them correctly on the first go (it’s definitely not difficult, but do read the directions before attempting! It starts to harden pretty quickly). You then send them to the Smile Brilliant lab (free US shipping, and it only cost me $8.00 to ship from Canada), where they’ll make your custom mouthguards. In about a week or so, my whitening mouthguards arrived!

I started whitening for about 45 minutes at first, which is the recommended starting time. You can go up to a 3 hour whitening session, but I don’t have a 3-hour window in the evenings (#momprobs) so I did up to 2 hours! I have sensitive teeth, so I got the sensitive system. After I whiten my teeth, I use the Smile Brilliant de-sensitizer for 15-20 minutes. My teeth are now whiter and LESS sensitive than they were before I started; I can drink ice water again, and I can drink coffee guilt-free!

I would LOVE to gift someone one of these in-home whitening kits so that they can have whiter teeth and feel more confident in their smile. I’ve partnered with Smile Brilliant to give one lucky person an in-home teeth whitening kit! Hop on over to my IG feed to learn more!

Head to the giveaway link HERE for a chance to win your own kit! If you just can’t wait, and would like to purchase one of the kits, use code RHIANNONMAIRI15 for 15% off your very own kit. Let me know how you find it, and feel free to ask me any questions about my experiences!

Stay smilin’