Patient stories
Sarah from Wellington — 6 Non-prep Emax veneers, enamel kept intact
Real patient story — a Wellington nurse in her 40s travels to Picasso Dental Clinic in Hanoi for 6 Non-prep Emax veneers at the May 2026 NZD price. NZD 4,398 clinical cost.
Sarah, 45, a Wellington nurse, travelled to Picasso Dental Clinic in Hanoi for 6 Non-prep Emax veneers across her upper smile — NZD 4,398 total clinical cost (May 2026 Picasso price list, 1 NZD = 15,000 VND), a single 10-day trip with the design locked during the Portrait Sitting step 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.
Sarah is 45, a Wellington nurse who spends her shifts reassuring other people and had spent two years quietly unhappy with her own smile. Her front teeth were healthy and straight — she had simply never liked the slightly grey, uneven enamel and small gaps that photographed worse than they looked. Her line in the post-trip survey was direct: “I did not want my real teeth ground down for a cosmetic problem. They were perfectly good teeth.” A Wellington private clinic had quoted her NZD 1,800 to NZD 2,500 per veneer for 6 upper teeth — a total of NZD 10,800 to NZD 15,000 — and most of the local options on the table involved standard preparation.
She messaged us after reading about no-prep work and sent six smile photographs and a couple of close-ups one evening. We returned a written, itemised NZD quote within 24 hours: 6 Non-prep Emax at NZD 733 per tooth = NZD 4,398 (May 2026 Picasso price list, 1 NZD = 15,000 VND), with a 7-year warranty.
Whether the no-prep route was actually right for her
A no-prep veneer is not the right answer for every smile, and we said so up front. It works when the teeth are well-aligned, the enamel is sound, and the cosmetic change is additive rather than corrective. For Sarah’s case it fit, but we did not confirm that from photos alone.
The pre-trip conversation covered three points:
- Candidacy: her teeth were straight and forward enough that bonding a thin Emax layer would not leave the result bulky. We flagged that the final teeth would sit very slightly fuller than her natural ones, which she was happy with.
- Enamel preservation: little to no reduction — a surface clean and conditioning rather than drilling. We sent the Turkey teeth explained page so she could see exactly what she was avoiding.
- Recourse: written warranty, travel reimbursement if a re-do is ever needed, and a New Zealand follow-up care note for her own dentist.
She booked her flights about a month out, around a block of annual leave.
The 10-day trip
| Day | What happened |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | WLG to HAN via Auckland and Singapore. Late arrival, hotel check-in near the Old Quarter. |
| Day 2 | Consultation 10:00. Photographs, OPG, iTero digital scan. Portrait Sitting design session in the afternoon — shade, length, edge shape, and how full the no-prep result would sit. |
| Day 3 | Trial smile. Because there was no preparation, we mocked the design directly onto her teeth so she could see and approve the shape before anything was bonded. |
| Days 4–7 | Lab fabrication and her own time in Hanoi. No temporaries phase — her natural teeth were untouched, so she ate and spoke normally throughout. |
| Day 8 | Bonding appointment. 3 hours. Isolation, conditioning, placement of all 6 veneers, occlusion check, photographs. |
| Day 9 | Review 30 minutes. Polishing and a final bite re-check. |
| Day 10 | Fly home, HAN via Singapore. |
The detail she rated highest was the trial smile on day 3. “Seeing the new shape on my actual teeth, before anything was permanent, was the moment I relaxed. I asked for the two front ones to be a fraction shorter and they redid the mock-up there and then.”
What it cost end-to-end
| Line item | NZD |
|---|---|
| 6 Non-prep Emax veneers (clinical) | 4,398 |
| Consultation + OPG + iTero | included |
| Return flight Wellington to Hanoi | 2,150 |
| Hotel — 10 nights, mid-range | 1,000 |
| Food and local transport | 550 |
| Total | 8,098 |
Against the Wellington benchmark of NZD 10,800 to NZD 15,000 for 6 veneers, the gross saving was NZD 6,402 to NZD 10,602, and the net saving after travel was NZD 2,702 to NZD 6,902.
She used 6 days of annual leave; the trip caught both ends of a weekend.
The thing she didn’t expect
In her words: “I assumed no-prep meant the bonding day would be quick. It actually took longer than I thought, because keeping the teeth completely dry while placing six veneers one by one is fiddly work. Nobody had warned me to plan a full afternoon. It was not uncomfortable, just slow — and honestly I was glad they were not rushing it.”
We have since added a realistic time estimate for no-prep bonding days to the pre-trip pack. Surveys like Sarah’s are how we close those gaps.
What aftercare looked like back in Wellington
Sarah had booked a check with her own NZ dentist before she flew, so it was waiting for her two and a half weeks after she got home. Her dentist reviewed the bite and the margins and signed the case off; we received the report and filed it. Because no enamel had been removed, there was no sensitivity to monitor.
She has had one 6-monthly clean since, reported as straightforward. Her next check is on the calendar.
Sarah’s three pieces of advice
From her survey response:
- “If you have good teeth, ask specifically whether you are a no-prep candidate before you accept any quote that involves drilling. I nearly agreed to standard veneers at home without knowing the conservative option existed.”
- “Do not treat the bonding day as a quick errand. Block out the whole afternoon and have nothing planned after — you want to walk out, not clock-watch.”
- “Keep a copy of every scan and the warranty document in your phone before you leave. When my Wellington dentist asked what material was used, I had the answer in ten seconds.”
See also
- Veneers pillar — the protocol, materials, and NZD pricing.
- Veneer care tips — the home-maintenance routine Sarah was given.
- How long do veneers last — longevity by material.
- Wellington 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.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sarah a real patient?
Yes. Sarah 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 6 veneers cost in NZD?
6 Non-prep Emax veneers at NZD 733 per tooth = NZD 4,398 total clinical cost (May 2026 Picasso price list, 1 NZD = 15,000 VND). This excludes flights, accommodation, and any pre-trip work.
What is a no-prep veneer and is it really enamel-safe?
Non-prep Emax veneers bond to the front of the tooth with little or no enamel reduction — typically nothing beyond a light surface clean and conditioning. Because the underlying tooth structure is preserved, the approach suits patients with well-aligned, healthy enamel who want a cosmetic change without irreversible drilling. Candidacy is confirmed by scan and photographs before any work is booked.
What warranty applies to Non-prep Emax veneers?
7-year warranty on Non-prep Emax veneers from Picasso. Manufacturer warranty applies in parallel. Warranty covers fracture or debonding not caused by trauma or untreated bruxism. See the full /warranty/ page for tier-by-tier terms.