Adam from Auckland — 6 Emax Press veneers

Real patient story, shared with permission. This patient has consented to Picasso Dental Clinic publishing their experience to help other New Zealand patients. Treatment, material, NZD price, and timeline are accurate to the case archive. Reviewed by Dr. Emily Nguyen, Founding Clinical Director.

Adam is a 39-year-old Auckland entrepreneur who spends most of his working week in front of people — investors, a co-founder, a webcam on the morning standup. He came to us in the run-up to a funding round, after watching a recording of his own pitch and getting stuck on a single frame. Two upper front teeth had drifted and greyed over the years, one carried an old chip from a rugby season, and a previous round of composite bonding had dulled at the edges and stained faster than the teeth around it. An Auckland private clinic had quoted him around NZD 12,000 for six veneers — and the wait pushed past his raise. We returned a written, itemised NZD quote within 24 hours: 6 Emax Press veneers at NZD 600 per tooth = NZD 3,600 (May 2026 Picasso price list, 1 NZD = 15,000 VND), with a 7-year warranty.

What he was weighing up before booking

Adam is a founder, so he opened a spreadsheet before he opened his mouth. From the post-trip survey: “My fear wasn’t the flight or the money. It was walking into a demo day with teeth that looked obviously done — too white, too uniform, the Hollywood thing. I’d rather have kept the chip.”

We focused the pre-trip conversation on three things:

• Material: Emax Press — the same pressed lithium-disilicate ceramic his Auckland quote specified, so he was comparing like for like, not a cheaper substitute.
• Preparation: conservative enamel reduction, not the aggressive crown-prep he’d read about. We sent him the Turkey teeth explained page so he could see what over-prepping healthy teeth actually does.
• Looking real: shade matched to his face rather than a brochure, with the brightness dialled to “rested,” not “bleached.” That decision lives in the Portrait Sitting, where he could see and approve it before anything was permanent.

Dr. Emily Nguyen reviewed his photos and a smile mock-up before he committed to a date. He booked his flights about a fortnight later.

The 10-day trip

The bonding appointment was the part he rated highest. “Nobody rushed it. They held the veneers up against my face under different lights and asked, three times, if this was the brightness I wanted before they cemented anything.”

What it cost end-to-end

Against the NZ benchmark of NZD 9,000 to NZD 15,000 for six veneers, the gross saving was NZD 5,400 to NZD 11,400, and the net saving after travel was roughly NZD 2,050 to NZD 8,050. He used 4 days of leave, with the trip overlapping two weekends.

The thing he didn’t expect

From the survey: “I assumed the temporaries would be a placeholder I’d just tolerate. Instead they were the most useful part. I went to two coffee meetings in them and realised the new shape made me talk differently — more openly. That told me, before anything was final, that I’d made the right call. I didn’t expect the test drive to matter as much as the result.”

We’ve started pointing this out to nervous patients: the temporaries phase is your dress rehearsal, not dead time.

What aftercare looked like back in Auckland

Adam confirmed a check with his own NZ dentist before he flew, scheduled for three weeks after he landed. His dentist reviewed the bite, signed off the bonding, and we added a copy of that report to his file. He re-recorded his pitch the week he got home and closed the round the following month — he’s the first to say the veneers didn’t write his deck, only that he stopped managing his mouth in the room. He’s had one 6-monthly clean since, reported clean, with the next check booked.

Adam’s three pieces of advice

From his survey response:

1. “Make them put the material in writing, then compare line for line. My Auckland quote and my Picasso quote were the same ceramic — Emax Press — and a wildly different number. The headline figure tells you nothing on its own.”
2. “Use the temporaries like a prototype, not a placeholder. Wear them to real meetings, talk, eat, laugh, and then ask for changes. I made mine slightly squarer because of one coffee conversation, and it was the right move.”
3. “Build a buffer day before the final fit. Don’t schedule the appointment that matters most on top of jet lag or a flight. I was glad I had a quiet morning before bonding.”

See also

• Veneers pillar — the protocol, materials, and NZD pricing.
• Veneer care tips — what Adam was told for home maintenance.
• Auckland to Vietnam dental travel page — local benchmark and route logistics.

Request your own free NZD veneers quote

About this page

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Emily Nguyen

Founding Clinical Director, Picasso Dental Clinic

DDS · Founder and Clinical Director, Picasso Dental Clinic group

Clinical focus: Cosmetic dentistry · Veneers · Smile design

Dr. Emily Nguyen founded Picasso Dental Clinic in 2013 (originally Serenity International Dental Clinic) and led its 2023 rebrand. She sets clinical standards across the group's six branches in Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Lat, and personally reviews cosmetic protocols including the Portrait Sitting workflow for veneers and smile makeovers.

Last clinically reviewed

28 May 2026

Published by

Picasso Dental Clinic

Review policy

Every medical procedure page on this site is reviewed by a named Picasso clinician before publication and re-checked when pricing, materials, or protocols change. Source documents are linked at the bottom of each page.