Trinh from Christchurch — 8 Emax Press veneers, upper 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.

Trinh is a nurse in her mid-thirties, working long rosters across Christchurch wards. Years of strong coffee on night shifts, two faintly grey front teeth from old fillings, and edges that had chipped and worn unevenly had left her smiling with her top lip held down in photos. She wanted it fixed before Lunar New Year — a season of family dinners, big group photos, and relatives she only sees once a year. A Christchurch private clinic had quoted her around NZD 16,000 for 8 upper veneers, which for a salaried nurse meant a loan or another year of putting it off.

She sent us seven phone photographs one evening after a shift. 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 be sure of before booking

In her words from the post-trip survey: “I work in healthcare, so I wasn’t going to fly anywhere on a marketing photo. I wanted to know the material, how much tooth they’d shave off, and what happens if one chips after I’m home.”

The pre-trip conversation answered all three:

• Material: Emax Press, a pressed lithium-disilicate ceramic — the same material the Christchurch clinic had quoted, chosen for strength and the way it handles light on the front teeth.
• Preparation: conservative enamel reduction, with a try-in stage so she could approve the shape before anything was cemented. We were aiming for “her teeth on a good day”, not a uniform block.
• Recourse: a written 7-year warranty, plus a New Zealand follow-up care note she could take to her own dentist.

She booked the flight with a clear buffer before Tet.

The 10-day trip

The try-in was the step she rated highest. “I didn’t realise you could change the shape before they went on permanently. I asked for the edges to be a touch less rounded and they did it.”

What it cost end-to-end

Against a Christchurch 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 roughly NZD 3,550 to 11,550. Even on the lower end, the trip paid for itself several times over.

The thing she didn’t expect

In her words: “Day 3 with the temporaries was the part I’d worried least about, and it was the oddest. My tongue kept finding the edges and I had a faint lisp on a couple of words that first evening. Both settled overnight. Nobody had warned me, but when I asked, the dentist said it was normal and would pass by morning — and it did.”

We have added this to the pre-trip pack. Real patient stories like Trinh’s are how we find the gaps.

What aftercare looked like back in Christchurch

Trinh confirmed a check with her own NZ dentist before she flew, scheduled for three weeks after landing. Her dentist reviewed the bite and the margins and signed the case off; we received a copy and added it to her file. She has had one 6-monthly check since, clean, with the next one booked. We also reminded her that a night guard is the simplest way to protect cosmetic ceramic if grinding ever shows up on a busy roster.

Trinh’s three pieces of advice

From her survey response:

1. “Tell your roster early. Swapping shifts was harder than any of the dentistry — once my leave was locked in around the New Year cut-off, the rest was easy.”
2. “Bring a photo of your own smile from years ago, not a celebrity. Mine from a decade back made the shade and shape talk much faster than trying to describe it.”
3. “Leave a real buffer before any big event. Finishing with days to spare before Tet meant I wasn’t anxious in a single family photo.”

See also

• Veneers pillar — the protocol, materials, and NZD pricing.
• Veneer care tips — what Trinh was told for home maintenance.
• Christchurch 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.