We hope your Thanksgiving went well, and we hope the rest of your holiday season will be wonderful, too.

As you work your way through your shopping list, remember yourself, too. With office Christmas parties and family gatherings fast approaching, you can count on a few things — lots of food, lots of presents, and lots of pictures.

When the time come for that big group photo or the candid shot, will you be OK when it gets posted to Facebook, Instagram, or some other social media site? If you want to look your best, you may want to consider a personal gift of one of the more versatile services offered in cosmetic dentistry — veneers.

You can find out more about veneers and get them at the dentist office of Denise DiBona, DDS, in Red Bank.

Why consider veneers?

Cosmetic dentistry is a field devoted to helping your teeth look their absolute best, and our teeth do affect our overall appearance and our confidence.

In recent survey of 1,000 Americans, 47 percent of the respondents said that a smile was a person’s most important physical feature. Beyond that, 64 percent of Americans said that a smile could affect someone’s success, yet only 31 percent said they would not change anything about their smiles.

Now, there are lots of reasons that people don’t like their smiles. We have cosmetic and restorative solutions that will fix any problem you could imagine with your teeth.

For a number of those problems, veneers are a fast, affordable, and effective solution.

What are veneers?

In a general sense, veneers are a kind of shell that we place over your existing teeth to hide the things that you don’t like.

You could think of veneers as something like a new case for your cell phone. If your phone has become dirty or worn down from constant use or from getting dropped and scratched, then a case can both protect it and improve its appearance.

When you think about your teeth, we put them through a lot. We use them every single day. The foods we eat and the things we drink can cause them to become stained.

We sometimes bite into things that could damage our teeth. We may not always care for our teeth the way we should (brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and getting regular cleanings at the dentist). And sometimes accidents happen that can chip or break our teeth.

With veneers, you can change the appearance of your teeth in a few easy steps.

Traditional veneers may require a little bit of prep work. By removing some of the enamel from your teeth, we can attach your veneers so that they do not change the shape of your face and lips.

We even offer Lumineers, the thinnest veneers available, which require no preparation. That means you can get your Lumineers in just two visits to our office.

How veneers can help

Like we said veneers are a versatile treatment for a number of teeth issues. Here are a few examples of things we can fix with veneers:

  • Yellow, discolored teeth — If you haven’t cared for your teeth properly, you use or have used tobacco, or you drink lots of coffee, tea, or soft drinks, you may see the evidence of your habits on you teeth.

Teeth can become discolored by tooth decay, by the things we put in our mouth, and by age. Sometimes after decades of use, our teeth will show signs of aging just like the rest of our bodies. Yellowing can even be a side effect of some medications.

Teeth whitening can remove stains, but veneers can give you a whiter smile no matter the reason for your discoloration.

  • Crooked teeth — Most people don’t have perfectly straight teeth, but when your teeth are too crooked, they can become a distraction to others. If you have crooked teeth, veneers can be hide them, giving you the appearance of straighter teeth.
  • Gaps in your teeth or crowded teeth — A gap in your teeth can be distracting as well, and teeth that are pushed too close together can appear odd. Many people with these issues will try to hide their teeth with their hands or napkins. With veneers, you can hide them a different way. Your veneers will give you a smile with teeth that appear to be evenly spaced.
  • Chipped teeth — If you lost part of a tooth in an accident, then you may have noticed what’s missing can really stand out when you open your mouth. Veneers can fill in what was lost and give you back a complete smile.

Say cheese

Most people, including celebrities, are not born with “Hollywood smiles.” If that is something you would like, however, veneers can make it happen.

Veneers can be used to fix any number of cosmetic issues and even a combination of issues that you may have with you teeth. After the veneers are bonded to your teeth, you will have a smile that is white, straight, evenly spaced, and complete.

If you live in or near Red Bank, call dentist Denise DiBona, DDS, at 732-945-5343 or fill out our online form.