Aroha from Hamilton — 8 Emax Press veneers to rebuild grinding wear

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.

Aroha is a Hamilton social worker in her late thirties, and she didn’t come to us about a chip or a stain — she came to us about an edge. Years of night-time grinding had worn the top of her upper front teeth flat, a few millimetres at a time, so gradually she hadn’t noticed until a client asked, kindly, if she clenched her jaw. A Hamilton private clinic had quoted her around NZD 16,000 to rebuild the lost height with 8 upper veneers. “On a social worker’s salary, that isn’t a decision, it’s a no,” she told us. We returned a written, itemised NZD quote within 24 hours: 8 Emax Press veneers at NZD 600 per tooth = NZD 4,800 (May 2026 Picasso price list, 1 NZD = 15,000 VND), with a 7-year warranty.

What she was actually worried about before booking

In her words from the post-trip survey: “I had two real fears. One, that they’d shave my teeth down to stumps to do it. Two, that the grinding would just wear the new ones flat again and I’d have wasted the money.”

The pre-trip conversation went straight at both:

• Preparation: the wear pattern — even, horizontal flattening across the upper front teeth — was textbook bruxism, not decay. We planned conservative enamel reduction, far less than a crown, because Emax Press lets us control thickness precisely when rebuilding lost height.
• The cause: we were blunt that veneers without a night guard would be a half-fix. The guard was built into the plan from day one, not offered as an upsell. We sent her the veneer care tips page so she could see the home routine before committing.

We also sent a digital mock-up of the restored smile before she booked anything. She confirmed the trip two weeks later.

The 10-day trip

The design session was the step she rated highest. “I’d been hiding flat teeth for years. Seeing the height drawn back on the screen, before anyone touched my mouth, was the moment I relaxed.”

What it cost end-to-end

Against a Hamilton private-clinic benchmark of NZD 12,000 to 20,000 for 8 veneers, the gross saving was NZD 7,200 to 15,200, and the net saving after travel was NZD 3,700 to 11,700. She took the trip during a quiet stretch at work and used part of her annual leave.

The thing she didn’t expect

In her words: “The strange part wasn’t pain — it was how the temporaries changed my speech for half a day. With the height restored, my top and bottom teeth met differently and a couple of words came out odd. I panicked a little. By the next morning my mouth had adjusted and I’d forgotten about it.”

We’ve added a note about the brief adjustment to taller restorations to the pre-trip pack. Real patient stories like Aroha’s are how we find these gaps.

What aftercare looked like back in Hamilton

Aroha’s first follow-up was with her own NZ dentist three weeks after the trip — booked before she flew, so it was locked in. Her dentist checked the bite, confirmed the veneers had settled, and noted the night guard fit. We received the report and added it to her file. She’s wearing the guard every night, has had one clean 6-monthly check since, and her year-2 review is scheduled.

Aroha’s three pieces of advice

From her survey response:

1. “Treat the night guard as part of the treatment, not an optional extra. The grinding is what wore my teeth down in the first place — skip the guard and you’re just queuing up the same problem.”
2. “Photograph your old smile from the side, not just front-on. The side profile is where you actually see the height come back. I’m so glad I have that before shot.”
3. “Tell work early and be plain about it. I almost kept it quiet, then just said I’d be away for dental treatment. The cover got sorted with zero drama.”

See also

• Veneers pillar — materials, protocol, and NZD pricing.
• Veneer care tips — the home routine Aroha follows, including the night guard.
• How long do veneers last — longevity by material.
• Hamilton 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.