HiSmile Review: does it actually work?

Before & after results

Everyone’s teeth are different.

Our lifestyles, genetics and medical conditions all have an influence on our teeth.

Some people have heavily stained teeth, whilst others do not.

HiSimle teeth whitening kit works by removing surface stains and may make your teeth appear whiter, but it will not change the natural colour of your teeth.

The results you achieve by using HiSmile will be different to me.

I have tried many different products and have little to no staining on my teeth.

Because of these circumstances, it would therefore be inaccurate to show before and after images to suggest what results you might get, because simply put, your before and after results may be very different.

Cost

£49.99 is the price of the whitening kit from HiSmile.

This includes 3 tubes of gel, the LED light, mouth tray, results chart and instruction manual.

New tubes of gel cost £18.99 for 3.

Where To Buy

HiSmile are a direct to consumer brand, meaning you can but from their online store at https://uk.hismileteeth.com

You will not find HiSmile in high street stores. It is sold online only.

Taste, Packaging etc

Using HiSmile is certainly an experience.

From the online purchase through to receipt of the product, everything is very slick.

Its design and packaging has been well thought out and you can see (initially at least) where the money you invested into the product is going.

Offering several different products, it is the teeth whitening kit I am reviewing and this comes in a sturdy white cardboard box.

It opens up a bit like a chest, to reveal the contents stored within.

In the box you get:

• 3 x Syringes of HiSmile gels
• 1 x LED light
• 1 x Mouth tray
• 1 x Results chart
• 1 x Instruction manual

On the back of the box is a graphic of what should be included, a list of ingredients, a breakdown of how the key ingredients work and a caution message.

The contents of the kit is designed to be used daily for 10 minutes for 6 consecutive days.

After this time, you should have achieved the maximum results you can with HiSmile.

The whitening results are suggested to last anywhere between 2 weeks and 3 months subject to your teeth, diet and lifestyle.

The included instruction card sadly does not repeat the list of ingredients and caution message found on the back of the box, but it does offer up 8 clear steps for you to follow.

HiSmile have also created a helpful video of these steps to aid you through your teeth whitening journey. If you are intending to use this, it is a good way of familiarising yourself with how it should be used. I include this video below.

I cannot deny how simple HiSmile have made this kit to use, with small touches like the clear markings on the syringes for how much to apply to the mouthpiece.

Provided is a one size fits all mouthpiece.

Made of silicon it is not designed to be precisely fitted to your teeth.

The shape of it means the whitening process is focused on the front teeth only, those that are generally the most visible when you smile.

As a result, you could find that the teeth whiten unevenly, but for most this is possibly not much of an issue, but if you want to ensure thorough all over whitening, then this is not the product for you.

Because it is a one size fits all a few may find this too big or too small in the mouth, but it should suit the majority of people.

The mouth tray must be fitted to the LED light module before the gel is applied otherwise things can get a bit awkward. The silicon mouth tray clips around the plastic mouldings on the mouthpiece.

HiSmile suggest taking a picture of your teeth prior to starting the whitening treatment to see how much they have improved by the end. You can use the provided colour chart to grade the tooth colour.

The instructions and video demonstrate that you should place a quarter of the gel into the upper part of the mouth tray and further quarter into the lower part of the tray.

What this means is that for each use, you are using half a syringe of whitening gel.

The gel can potentially escape from the mouth tray, but if placed correctly, this should limit waste. Avoid swallowing any excess gel if you can, spit it out. It should not do any harm to the gums, cheeks and tongue.

Place the tray into the mouth, bite down and press the button on the LED module to turn the light on.

The LEDs emit a blue light.

Remaining lit for 10 minutes, the unit will automatically turn the light off after this time and make a beeping sound to alert you that the 10 minutes are up. You need to keep the mouth tray in your mouth for the full 10 minutes, biting down to keep it in place.

By the end of the 6 days you will have had a full hour of LEDs shining onto your teeth.

HiSmile are not specific about what the LED does, but here is my theory based on other products and my knowledge of the industry.

The light being shone on the teeth will do a number of things. Firstly, it can help activate the agents within the whitening gel. It helps them begin working, breaking down stains and trying to whiten the teeth quicker than if the light was not shone at all.

Heat can be produced by lights, although LEDs tend to produce very low amounts of heat. This heat can help dehydrate teeth. Dehydration of the teeth will give them a naturally whiter look. This is what in part the glycerin in the gel will do.

The last thing the light does is enhances the reflective nature of the teeth. Certain ingredients and the natural makeup of the teeth can essentially reflect light rather than absorbing it giving it a brighter, whiter look. The residual gel coating on the teeth after use will help maintain this.

Once complete, the tray can be removed and rinsed.

You may need to rinse your mouth out to remove any excess gel or saliva.

Pack the kit away and repeat for 6 days in total until all the gel has been used.

At the end of the 6 days you can take another picture and compare the before and after colour shades.

The reality is that many, especially those that have used tooth whitening products before will see little or no difference in their tooth colour.

The reason for this is likely to be that they have no staining on the teeth at all, so essentially, unless a stronger peroxide agent is used the teeth will remain the same colour.

What HiSmile suggest is to stick to a light diet, ditching or at least reducing the intake of coffee, tea and foods that can stain the teeth, like bolognese, during the whitening process. I have seen few other products (aside from those provided by dental professionals) suggest this.

This is good advice.

I don’t want to suggest this is a trick, because during teeth whitening your teeth are more porous, but it is a simple lifestyle change that can help enhance the results.

What I mean by this, is that even on a normal week where you are not whitening your teeth, if you stopped drinking coffee, tea, etc and cut back on habits like smoking, assuming you brush your teeth correctly you may find the teeth will look whiter because you are not consuming the products that might otherwise stain the teeth.

The ingredients within the gels here are really only ever going to remove stains on the external surface of the teeth. The sodium chlorite can potentially have a bleaching effect on the internal structure of the tooth, but the concentration (to my knowledge) is too low in this product to deliver meaningful results.

HiSmile do suggest results of up to 8 shades whiter. Very few will ever achieve this.

At £49.99 this is far from cheap, especially when you consider the results will likely last anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months.

All tooth whitening will fade over time and will require top up treatment to maintain the colour shade.

HiSmile actually suggest application every 2 weeks.

It is not clear whether they mean just apply for 1 day or for another 6 days but either way it begins to get a bit more expensive when you factor in that a pack of gels (capable of lasting 6 days) come in at £18.99.

For this price you can buy a very good quality toothbrush and toothpaste a few times over and may just get equivalent results, or at worst reduce the chances of stains forming.

Prices vary, but you can get custom made, dentist provided whitening trays from about £150-200. The gels for topping up are then about £20-40. Although more expensive, you will get a much better return on investment.

When you go to a dental professional, not only are you having a checkup to ensure your teeth can receive whitening treatment, the gels provided are much stronger and more effective. You will too whiten all the surfaces of the teeth and not just the front and most obvious ones.

HiSmile have created a product that may work for some, but the vast majority will be disappointed by the results.

Their business model is fuelled by celebrity endorsements, product placement and carefully crafted adverts. They are leveraging the power of influencers that exist in our world today to push a product that won’t deliver the results many expect.

Ingredients

The ingredients of the gel supplied by HiSmile are:

Sodium bicarbonate, sodium chlorite, citric acid, aloe leaf juice, pomegranate seed extract, chamomile flower extract, glycerol, propylene glycol, deionized water, carbomer, xanthan gum and menthol.

Safety

HiSmile does not pose any significant risk to your teeth and oral health if used cautiously.

That being said, our in-house dentist Chhaya Chauhan does advise against using products that include a ‘whitening light’, as this can lead to your teeth being dried out.

Ironically, drying the teeth out for too long, too often, can make them more susceptible to staining in the long term.

The one size fits all mouth tray is not ideal as this can cause the gel to make contact with other parts of the mouth.

HiSmile claim no sensitivity and whilst it is unlikely, it is not impossible that some may feel some sensitivity should the gel comes into contact with soft tissues. Try to avoid swallowing any excess gel that may escape from the trays.

All natural ingredients they may be in the gel, but sodium chlorite tends to be used in more industrial processes such as food processing and paper whitening.

In addition to citric acid and sodium bicarbonate, the chlorite creates a bleaching agent that in theory helps whiten the teeth. Whilst short term use should do little damage, continued/long term use can have negative effects on the tooth enamel, like any acidic product can.

US Pharmacist specifically calls out sodium chlorite as ‘troublesome’.

On the box is the list of ingredients and a paragraph of cautionary text. It explains that this kit is not intended for children under the age of 12 and that these whitening products are not a substitute for regular dental care. There are a few words about pregnancy and that this kit will not whiten caps, crowns, veneers, fillings or dentures.

It is good to see this.

Inside the kit is a step by step guide on how to use the kit. It is a bit of a shame that there isn’t a repeat of the safety/caution details on this.

There are no contact details for the company on the box or documentation other than an address. There is a contact form and live chat option on their website, but no telephone number or publically advertised email address.

The box also suggests a 24 month shelf life, but no clear use by dates, so one has to presume from date of receipt there is plenty of life in the kit if not used immediately.

The company has also produced an explainer video (included earlier) to show how to work the kit which helps reduce some of the potential risk.

Is HiSmile eco-friendly?

HiSmile is not sold as or suggested to be an eco-friendly product.

The cardboard box is recyclable and maybe even the plastic trays inside can be, subject to your local councils rulings.

The tubes in which the gel come are unlikely to be accepted and the mouthpiece/LED light will need to go into electrical waste if disposed of.

Of utmost concern here really is that items like the LED light will be used for the 6 days the kit is designed for, then binned.

It can be reused, but this is only any good if you intend to buy gel refills. Your initial intentions may be to do so, but if you, like many others achieve unsatisfactory teeth whitening results, the likelihood swings back to getting rid of it all and looking at other options. Hardly ideal for the environment.

You may see other sites touting this as a ‘vegan-friendly’ product, but creating such a large amount of waste makes the initial good intention of not harming animals a bit misguided when you take into account the overall environmental impact of such products.

Other whitening products from HiSmile

Aside from the whitening kit being reviewed here that includes the gels and LED light, HiSmile also offer a day and night toothpaste, in addition to a regular daily paste, a coconut mouthwash and a whitening pen.

All are fairly expensive products, considering what they are.

I have not gone hands on with them, but a review of their ingredients does not make them any better or able to whiten your teeth in a more effective way.

You do not need to pay £19 for a tube of toothpaste. A tube 10 times cheaper will normally be perfectly adequate. You can see a few good whitening toothpaste options in our post here.

What we would like to see improved

HiSmile need to improve their communication and education of how their product actually works.

They need to make it clear that this is for the most part a stain removal product. There is a big difference between stain removal and professional bleaching when it comes to whitening.

This is something almost all companies selling so called ‘teeth whitening products’ need to do.

Whilst the company does say ‘up to’ 8 shades whiter, many will read that as if they are going to get significant improvements, when in reality 1 or 2 shades whiter is more realistic. Many will see no whitening at all.

They could too monitor the images they use on social media in particular a bit better.

Many of the before and after images are taken in very different lighting conditions, which in turn affects the appearance of the tooth colour. Many of the after shots are in much brighter and lighter environments giving a brighter and lighter look to the teeth.

Ratings / Conclusion

As we’ve mentioned in the results section, it’s difficult for us (or anybody else) to systematically test numerous whitening products.

For this reason, we have chosen to omit star ratings.

However, below you can find a summary of our closing thoughts.

Don’t buy HiSmile.

It is not worth the money. It does not get our recommendation.

You are paying over the odds for the celebrity endorsements, the high profile advertising and the premium packaging.

For a few it can have some positive effects, but it comes at a significant cost.

Similar results could be achieved from a toothbrush and toothpaste a tenth of the price.

For those free of staining on the teeth, you will never get close to the claimed 8 shades.

Those with discoloured teeth as a result of trauma or root canal treatment will see zero improvement.

For anyone seeking stain removal or true teeth whitening (cosmetic bleaching) you money is much better spent on alternative products, most specifically a dental professional provided custom moulded tray and gels which will actually change the natural colour of your teeth with the priceless oversight of a trained professional.

FAQ

• Does it contain peroxides?
  • No.
• Will it whiten my crowns, veneers, fillings or dentures?
  • No. It can only whiten the natural teeth.

Your Opinions

Do you own or have you used the HiSmile teeth whitening kit?

Are there certain things that you really like or dislike?

Let me and other readers of this article know what you think, by commenting below.  Your feedback and opinions are incredibly valuable.