Patient stories
Te Aroha from Rotorua — 6 Non-prep Emax veneers
Real patient story — a 40-49 Rotorua nurse travels to Picasso Dental Clinic for veneers at the May 2026 NZD price. NZD 4,398 clinical cost.
Te Aroha, 44, a Rotorua nurse, travelled to Picasso Dental Clinic in Da Nang for 6 Non-prep Emax veneers — NZD 4,398 total clinical cost (May 2026 Picasso price list, 1 NZD = 15,000 VND), a single 9-day trip booked around her night-shift roster.
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.
Te Aroha is a Rotorua nurse in her mid-forties who has spent years on rotating night shifts. Two chipped upper front teeth and the slow staining that comes with strong coffee and long wards had left her covering her mouth in photos. She wanted her own smile back — brighter and even, not a dramatic reset — and she wanted it done without weakening healthy teeth. A Rotorua private clinic had quoted her around NZD 12,900 for six veneers, which on a nurse’s wage simply was not happening.
She sent us six close-up photos late one evening between shifts. We returned a written, itemised NZD quote within 24 hours: 6 Non-prep Emax veneers at NZD 733 per tooth = NZD 4,398 (May 2026 Picasso price list, 1 NZD = 15,000 VND), with a 7-year warranty.
The one thing she would not compromise on
In her words from the post-trip survey: “I’m a nurse. I’ve seen what happens when you grind down a healthy tooth and it goes wrong years later. I told them up front — if it means drilling my front teeth back to stumps, I’m not interested.”
The pre-trip conversation centred on exactly that:
- Candidacy: our clinical team reviewed her photos and scan and confirmed her enamel was healthy and her teeth well-aligned enough for a non-prep approach — little to no reduction needed.
- Material: Non-prep Emax, a strong lithium-disilicate glass ceramic, bonded over the existing teeth rather than carved into them.
- Recourse: a written 7-year warranty, travel reimbursement if a re-do is ever required, and a New Zealand follow-up care note for her own dentist.
She booked her trip into a block of annual leave she already had banked.
The 9-day trip
| Day | What happened |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | ROT to DAD via Auckland. Evening arrival in Da Nang. Hotel check-in. |
| Day 2 | Consultation 10:00. Photographs, OPG, iTero digital scan. Shade and shape discussion — she chose a half-step warmer than bright white to read natural against her skin. |
| Day 3 | Records day. Because the veneers were non-prep, this visit was a gentle clean, precise impressions, and final scans. The in-house lab began layering the Emax. |
| Days 4–7 | Lab fabrication and free time. No drilling meant no temporaries and no soreness — she explored the city and rested off her usual roster. |
| Day 8 | Final fit. Veneers bonded, bite checked, margins eased smooth to the tongue, photographs taken. |
| Day 9 | Short review, polish, then fly home ROT via Auckland. |
The step she rated highest was day 8. “I kept waiting for the part where it would hurt,” she wrote. “It never came.”
What it cost end-to-end
| Line item | NZD |
|---|---|
| 6 Non-prep Emax veneers (clinical) | 4,398 |
| Consultation + OPG + iTero | included |
| Return flight Rotorua to Da Nang | 2,100 |
| Hotel — 9 nights, mid-range | 900 |
| Food and local transport | 480 |
| Total | 7,878 |
Against a Rotorua benchmark of NZD 10,800 to NZD 15,000 for six veneers, the gross saving was NZD 6,402 to NZD 10,602, and the net saving after travel was NZD 2,922 to NZD 7,122.
The whole trip fit inside leave she had already accrued.
The thing she didn’t expect
In her words: “I’d braced myself for that drill sound the entire flight over. I work around clinical sounds all day and that one still puts my teeth on edge. On the records day it was basically a polish and some moulding — I sat there waiting for it to start, and then it was just finished. Nobody had really explained to me that non-prep means there’s almost nothing to remove.”
We have since added a clearer non-prep explainer to the pre-trip pack. Real patient stories like this one are how we find the gaps.
What aftercare looked like back in Rotorua
Te Aroha had a follow-up booked with her own NZ dentist three weeks after she flew home — confirmed before she left. Her dentist checked the bite and the margins and signed the case off. We received a copy and added it to her file, along with her care instructions and a digital record of the treatment.
She has had one 6-monthly check since, clean. The next is scheduled.
Te Aroha’s three pieces of advice
From her survey response:
- “Ask whether non-prep is even on the table before you agree to anything. If your enamel’s healthy you might keep far more of your own tooth than you’d assume — I did.”
- “Stack the trip onto leave you’ve already earned. Nine days covered everything for me; I didn’t burn a single extra day off.”
- “Be specific about wanting natural, not Hollywood. I said warmer over whiter and that’s exactly what I got. My daughter says I just look like me again.”
See also
- Veneers pillar — the protocol, materials, and NZD pricing.
- Veneer care tips — what Te Aroha was told for home maintenance.
- How long do veneers last — longevity by material.
- Rotorua 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 Te Aroha a real patient?
Yes. Te Aroha 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 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 does non-prep mean — will my teeth be drilled?
Non-prep Emax veneers require little to no enamel reduction. They are only suitable when the natural teeth are well-aligned and the enamel is healthy. In Te Aroha's case the clinical team confirmed she was a candidate, so almost no tooth structure was removed. Candidacy is assessed individually and outcomes vary.
What warranty applies to Non-prep Emax veneers?
7-year warranty on Non-prep Emax veneers from Picasso. Warranty covers fracture or debonding not caused by trauma or untreated bruxism. See the full /warranty/ page for tier-by-tier terms.