Quantum dots are becoming more recognized as a tool to use in varying photonic and sensing technologies. When quantum dots are illuminated, they can emit light; by altering the quantum dot characteristics, the wavelength of the emitted light can be finely tuned. The emitted light of quantum dots may gradually increase in intensity when continuously illuminated, a behavior of quantum dots called photobrightening. We focus on this brightening behavior and explore different factors that contribute to quantum dot photobrightening. Increased excitation of the quantum dots results in increased rate of photobrightening, shown in this work by exciting quantum dot samples with different laser intensities. By adding plasmonic nanostructures, the excitation light to the quantum dots is enhanced, which also increases the rate of photobrightening. By combining gold nanoparticles with cadmium selenide quantum dots, we determined that gold nanoparticles enhance QD photobrightening by a significant factor, potentially leading to more efficient quantum dot technologies.