Olivia from Auckland — 8 Emax veneers for a camera-ready smile

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.

Olivia is a real estate agent in Auckland, early thirties, and her face is on every listing she takes — billboards, flyers, the “just listed” posts that vendors scroll through before they pick an agent. The problem, she told us, was that she had stopped showing her teeth in any of them. Years of mild crowding, two front teeth worn unevenly, and a shade that had drifted darker than she liked had pushed her into a closed-lip smile in every shot. “I’d coach my vendors to look confident on camera,” she said, “and then do the tight-lipped thing myself.”

She had been quoted by an Auckland private clinic in the range of NZD 12,000 to NZD 20,000 for a course of 8 veneers — call it NZD 16,000 at the midpoint — which on a commission income meant a loan or another year of hiding her smile. She sent us nine photos on a Sunday. 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 wanted to settle before booking

Olivia’s worry was not price — it was looking obviously “done”. From the post-trip survey: “I sell to people who notice detail for a living. I did not want a row of identical white tiles. I wanted teeth that still looked like mine, just the best version.”

The pre-trip conversation focused on three things:

• Material: Emax Press, pressed lithium disilicate, chosen here for strength and the lifelike translucency that stops veneers reading as a flat white wall.
• Preparation: conservative enamel reduction of 0.3 to 0.5 mm. We sent her the Turkey teeth explained page so she could see why aggressive crown-prep on healthy teeth goes wrong.
• The design step: we explained that shape, length, edge, and shade are decided on photographs and temporaries before any ceramic is pressed, so she would sign off on the look first.

She booked her flights about four weeks out and built the trip around a single working week so she missed only a handful of open homes.

The 10-day trip

The temporaries phase was the part she rated highest. “I did not realise the trial run was the whole point. I wore the temporaries to a coffee meeting and decided the edges were too soft for my face. They changed it. The real ones matched what I’d already approved.”

What it cost end-to-end

Against the Auckland benchmark of NZD 12,000 to NZD 20,000 for 8 veneers, the gross saving was NZD 7,200 to NZD 15,200, and the net saving after travel was roughly NZD 3,800 to NZD 11,800. She treated the mid-week gap as a working holiday on foot around the Old Quarter and used five days of annual leave across two weekends.

The thing she didn’t expect

In her words: “The surprise was how much I used the temporaries to make the decision, not the final ceramic. I’d assumed the temporaries were just placeholders to get me through the week. Instead they became the rehearsal — I tested the look on real people before anything permanent was made. By the time the Emax went in there were no surprises, which is exactly what you want from something bonded to your front teeth.”

We have started pointing this out to every veneer patient in the pre-trip pack, because survey responses like Olivia’s are how we find the gaps.

What aftercare looked like back in Auckland

Olivia booked her own NZ dentist for a bite check four weeks after the trip, confirmed before she flew. Her dentist reviewed the occlusion and signed the case off; we received the report and filed it. She has had one 6-monthly clean since, with the second already scheduled. We also reminded her that the 7-year warranty travels home with her and gave her the documentation to keep.

Olivia’s three pieces of advice

From her survey response:

1. “Bring your own photos — both your current listing shots and smiles you actually like. I was specific from day one and it kept the design honest.”
2. “Treat the temporaries as a real test, not a waiting room. Wear them out, talk, eat, take selfies. That’s your only chance to change your mind for free.”
3. “Keep the two clinical days sacred and do your sightseeing in the gap. Do not plan a day trip out of the city the morning before your bonding appointment.”

See also

• Veneers pillar — the protocol, materials, and NZD pricing.
• Veneer care tips — what Olivia was told for home maintenance.
• How long do veneers last — longevity by material.
• Auckland to Vietnam dental travel page — local benchmark and route logistics.

Request your own free NZD veneer 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.