Aspiring Minority Doctor Attempts At Home Teeth Whitening: A Review + Free Giveaway!

One of the things my patients comment on the most is how much my smile brightens their day, so when Smile Brilliant contacted me with the opportunity to brighten my smile AND have a free giveaway for my readers, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity!

Now, I’ll be honest and say, up until this point, I never used a tooth whitening product in my life. Yep, that’s right, only good ole Colgate toothpaste for me! So, when Smile Brilliant first contacted me, I was not only a bit skeptical, but didn’t think their product would benefit me. So glad I took a chance, because their product is awesome!

Smile Brilliant works by creating custom fitted trays that wrap around your teeth, so it does involve a few steps. The first thing that must be done when you receive the product is creating a mold of your teeth using putty that is provided. The process is super simple and involves mushing putty together, putting it in a tray, and then pressing in your teeth until the mold hardens. Afterwards, you get a nice blue impression of your teeth, as seen above.

                        

                     

Once the impression of your teeth has been made, you complete a consent form and mail that in along with your impressions. About a week later, the company sends you back trays that fits snugly around your teeth. They kind of reminded me of the Invisalign braces that you see on television.

Now for the fun part! Once I received my custom fitted trays, it was time to try out the product. Smile Brilliant is extremely easy to use and only requires what you see above. I was told that some people experience sensitivity, so I placed Vaseline on my gums, and injected the whitening agent into the trays. I then kept the product on for 45 minutes (45 minutes to three hours is suggested), brushed my teeth, and then put the trays back on my teeth with the desensitizing agent for 15 minutes. This was done at night so that I wouldn’t eat after the whitening process was complete.

Look closely, my teeth are in whitening trays

One thing that I really liked about the whitening process was how much it didn’t interfere with my daily activities. Once the trays were in my mouth, they were practically invisible, and outside of having a small lisp, I could converse easily. In the picture above, if you look really closely, you’ll see that I have both trays in place and yet, my smile is still awesome!

If I had to come up with one con about the product, it would be the demineralization that is easily seen right after whitening. If you look at the above picture, you can see splotchy areas and small areas that are way whiter than other parts of my teeth. Fortunately, when I woke up in the morning, the color in my teeth was even again. It did freak me out at first, so just want to make sure I throw it out there.

                     

Crazy results after only 2 uses!

Overall, I was super satisfied with my results. I always thought my teeth were white, but this product took them to another level. I also enjoyed the fact that my teeth didn’t look too white and maintained a natural whiteness after the process. Above are my before and after photos from just two sessions. I was told seven sessions would give the best results, but you can definitely see a difference above even with limited use. The top photos are my “before” shots and the bottom photos are my “after” shots.

Giveaway Time!

I highly recommend Smile Brilliant if you’re looking to brighten your smile, and the company has graciously agreed to giveaway their awesome product (a $149 value) to one of my readers! Just follow the instructions below to enter for your chance to win! Or if you’re impatient like me and want to get started now, go to smilebrilliant.com and enter the coupon code below for 15% off storewide.

15% off coupon code: aspiringminoritydoctor15

Giveaway link: www.smilebrilliant.com/g/aspiringminoritydoctor

·  The giveaway is for a $149 Smile Brilliant credit. It runs until March 1, 2019 at 11:59pm EST and is open to USA, UK, Australia and Canadian residents.

·  Smile Brilliant hosts the giveaway on its own website. It's done through an internal platform so you don't have to worry about third-party websites selling your email addresses.

·  All entrants must enter their email address to be entered!

Happy whitening and I wish everyone a day filled with tons of smiles :)

Professional Teeth Whitening

Excited for 2019!

Goodbye 2018!

 

Happy New Year!!!! Yes, I realize this post is a month and a half late, but better late than never, right? 2018 was such a crazy year, and if I only had one sentence to describe it, I would quote from Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities and say "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times". I experienced the high of becoming a doctor and the low of not matching. The joys of international travel and the sadness of domestic travel away from everything and everyone I know and love. Boss status with presidential suites and selfies with senators to a more humble status complete with a small apartment and being a broke resident. From the carefree laid-back lifestyle of the second half of my final year of medical school to spending insanely long hours working my ass off as an intern resident physician. But despite the highs and lows, you know what? 2018 was an amazing ride! I learned so much about myself over the year, and every day I grew more in love with the woman I am becoming. If 2018 taught me nothing else, it taught me how to remain resilient in the face of uncertainty while staying true to myself, the importance of prioritizing self-care, and the value of a good support system. It was a year of transition, and I will forever be grateful for the lessons it taught me, but now I can happily say to 2018 (in my Ariana Grande voice): Thank you, Next!

32 and loving it!

As for 2019, this year is shaping up to be an amazing one! I started off the year with a vacation week that gave me the opportunity to ring in the new year with a bang, and spend time with my daughter and loved ones, while also getting in some much needed rest and relaxation. I also celebrated my 32nd birthday a couple of weeks ago with another week off spent in Atlanta. Even though my Saints got robbed, it was fun joining in on some of the Super Bowl activities, and it was even better getting away from the frigid cold in Philadelphia.

No more medical board licensing exams for me!

The best part of 2019 thus far was last week when I found out that I passed my final medical board licensing exam, otherwise known as COMLEX level 3. It's such a relief to have these exams behind me, and to know that I'll finally be able to apply for a full unrestricted medical license at the end of intern year. Before I entered medical school, my biggest worry was if I would be able to pass a board exam, and now I can boldly declare that all my MCAT struggles didn't mean a thing, because I passed all my exams, and even better, on the first try!

Right now, I am loving every minute of 2019, and eagerly looking forward to what the rest of the year will bring. I also anticipate that I will be sharing a lot of good news with everyone in the coming months, so I hope you all will stick along for the ride. Lastly, I plan on going back to my original intent with this blog, which includes having more guidance and inspirational posts, so please let me know if there is a topic you would like for me to address.

That's it for now. I'm currently in the middle of a 24hr call shift and on the tail end of a brutal call schedule (those vacation days don't come without consequence!). I just finished sign out a couple of hours ago, and then got hit with a couple of ER consults, but hopefully it won't be too crazy of an evening. I hope everyone reading this has had a wonderful week, and I wish you all an even better weekend!