Patient stories
Rebecca from Hamilton — 6 Emax Press veneers
Real patient story — a 30-something Hamilton vet nurse travels to Picasso Dental Clinic for veneers at the May 2026 NZD price. NZD 3,600 clinical cost.
Rebecca, 34, a Hamilton vet nurse, travelled to Picasso Dental Clinic in Hanoi for 6 Emax Press veneers across her front teeth — NZD 3,600 total clinical cost (May 2026 Picasso price list, 1 NZD = 15,000 VND), a single 10-day trip with the design finalised at the Portrait Sitting on day 2.
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.
Rebecca is 34, a vet nurse in Hamilton who spends her days reassuring nervous owners and their animals. Her own front teeth had bothered her for years — a band of grey-brown staining on the upper six that no whitening tray ever shifted, the kind that sits inside the tooth rather than on it. A Hamilton private clinic had quoted her around NZD 12,000 for the six, and after that conversation she stopped smiling with teeth in photos altogether.
She sent us six phone photos one weekend and asked, plainly, whether veneers could do what bleaching had failed to do. We returned a written, itemised NZD quote within 24 hours: 6 Emax Press veneers at NZD 600 per tooth = NZD 3,600 total (May 2026 Picasso price list, 1 NZD = 15,000 VND), with a 7-year warranty.
The staining question, before anything else
Rebecca’s main worry was not cost — it was whether the result would look natural rather than like a row of white tiles. From the post-trip survey: “I had seen people come back from overseas with teeth that were too white and all the same. I did not want that. I wanted my teeth, just clean.”
The pre-trip conversation covered three points:
- Why veneers and not more whitening: her discolouration was intrinsic, so porcelain that covers the surface was the honest fix. We explained that bleaching would keep underperforming on this kind of stain.
- Material: Emax Press, layered for translucency at the edges so the veneers catch light the way enamel does rather than reading flat.
- Preparation: 0.3 to 0.5 mm of enamel reduction, conservative. We sent the Turkey teeth explained page so she could see the difference between a veneer prep and an aggressive crown prep on a healthy tooth.
She picked a shade one step warmer than the brightest option on the guide, on our advice, so it would suit her face. She booked her flights a fortnight later.
The 10-day trip
| Day | What happened |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | AKL to HAN via Singapore. Late arrival, hotel check-in near the Old Quarter branch. |
| Day 2 | Consultation 9:30 — photographs, OPG, iTero scan. Portrait Sitting in the afternoon: shade, edge shape, length, and how much of the staining she wanted gone versus kept characterful. |
| Day 3 | Preparation 9:00 to 13:00. Six upper teeth prepared, temporaries fitted in the chosen shape. |
| Days 4–8 | Temporaries phase. We asked her to wear them for several days and flag anything about bite, speech, or look. She came back on day 6 to soften the corners slightly. |
| Day 9 | Final fit, around 3 hours. Bonding, bite check, photographs. |
| Day 10 | Fly home, HAN to AKL via Singapore. |
The shade trial on the temporaries was what reassured her most. “Seeing the off-white version in my own mouth, in normal light, was the moment I relaxed. It was bright but it was still me.”
What it cost end-to-end
| Line item | NZD |
|---|---|
| 6 Emax Press veneers (clinical) | 3,600 |
| Consultation + OPG + iTero | included |
| Return flight Hamilton to Hanoi | 1,850 |
| Hotel — 10 nights, mid-range | 980 |
| Food and local transport | 520 |
| Total | 6,950 |
Against a Hamilton 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 NZD 2,050 to NZD 8,050.
She took five working days of leave, with the trip wrapped around two weekends.
The thing she didn’t expect
In her words: “I expected the dental side to be the stressful part and the holiday to be the reward. It was the other way around. The appointments were calm and on time, and the part that caught me off guard was how tired I was from the heat and the walking in the first two days. By day three I had paced myself and it was fine — but I wish I had planned a slower start.”
We have since added a ‘first 48 hours’ note to the pre-trip pack suggesting arrivals take the first day easy. Real patient stories like this one are how we find those gaps.
What aftercare looked like back in Hamilton
Rebecca booked her NZ follow-up before she flew, so it was waiting for her. Her own dentist checked the bite and the margins about three weeks after the trip and signed the case off. We received the report and filed it. She has had one 6-monthly clean since, with no issues noted, and her year-1 check is booked.
Rebecca’s three pieces of advice
From her survey response:
- “If whitening has already let you down, ask straight out whether your staining is the kind veneers actually fix. I wasted two years on trays that were never going to work.”
- “Do not over-brighten. I nearly chose the whitest shade and they steered me one step back. It was the right call — strangers do not clock that I have had work done.”
- “Build a rest day into the front of the trip. The treatment is the easy part; the jet lag and the heat are not.”
See also
- Veneers pillar — the protocol, materials, and NZD pricing.
- How long do veneers last — longevity by material, including Emax.
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rebecca a real patient?
Yes. Rebecca is a real Picasso Dental Clinic patient who has given written permission for us to share their experience with other New Zealand patients considering treatment. Treatment, material/brand, NZD price, and timeline are accurate to the case archive.
What did the veneers cost in NZD?
6 Emax Press veneers at NZD 600 per tooth = NZD 3,600 total clinical cost (May 2026 Picasso price list, 1 NZD = 15,000 VND). This excludes flights, accommodation, and any pre-trip work.
Will veneers fix deep staining that whitening could not?
Often, yes. Emax porcelain veneers cover the visible tooth surface, so intrinsic staining — the deep discolouration that bleaching gels cannot reach — is masked rather than lightened. We assess shade and enamel condition at the consultation before confirming veneers are the right route.
What warranty applies to Emax veneers?
7-year warranty on Emax Press veneers from Picasso, covering fracture or debonding not caused by trauma or untreated grinding. Manufacturer warranty applies in parallel. See the full /warranty/ page for tier-by-tier terms.