Team
Dr. Emily Nguyen - Founding Clinical Director, Picasso Dental Clinic
Dr. Emily Nguyen founded the original clinic (Serenity International Dental Clinic) in Hanoi in 2013, led the 2023 rebrand to Picasso Dental Clinic, and remains in clinical leadership setting group-wide standards for case selection, surgical protocols, and prosthetic delivery.
Dr. Emily Nguyen is the Founding Clinical Director of Picasso Dental Clinic, having founded the original Hanoi clinic (then Serenity International Dental Clinic) in 2013, led the 2023 rebrand to Picasso, and continues to set group-wide clinical standards for case selection, surgical protocols, and cosmetic delivery - which means every UK cosmetic case at Picasso is treated under protocols she personally approves.
Dr. Emily Nguyen founded the original Picasso Dental Clinic - then known as Serenity International Dental Clinic - in Hanoi in 2013. Twelve years later, after a 2023 rebrand to Picasso following private equity partnership, she remains in clinical leadership and sets the standards that every Picasso clinician follows.
For UK patients, that matters in a specific way. The cosmetic, implant, and prosthetic protocols applied to your case were not invented for your visit. They were developed over twelve years of treating thousands of patients - some Vietnamese, many international - and are written down as group-wide standards that Dr. Emily Nguyen continues to maintain.
Profile at a glance
| Role | Founding Clinical Director |
| Born | 1982, Ho Chi Minh City |
| Founded clinic | 2013 (as Serenity International Dental Clinic) |
| Rebrand to Picasso | 2023, following private equity partnership |
| Trained at | Pearl Dental Clinic, Ho Chi Minh City |
| Current role | Group clinical standards: case selection, surgical protocols, prosthetic delivery |
| Cosmetic protocol attributable to her direction | Portrait Sitting (Picasso’s veneer planning workflow) |
What “Founding Clinical Director” means in practice
The role is not a title. It defines what gets approved.
| Decision | Dr. Emily Nguyen’s involvement |
|---|---|
| Which cases the clinic accepts | She sets the standards on what is and is not within scope. Complex reconstruction, edge-case cosmetic plans, and unusual implant scenarios get reviewed against her criteria |
| Surgical protocols used | She approves the protocols used for implants, oral surgery, periodontics, and endodontics across branches |
| Prosthetic delivery workflow | Crown, bridge, and veneer fabrication standards - from impression technique to lab choice to bonding protocol |
| Cosmetic case approach | Portrait Sitting (photography, facial analysis, wax-up, mock-up, conservative prep, temporaries, final bonding) is her workflow |
| Clinician onboarding | New clinicians joining the group must operate within her standards before they handle UK cosmetic cases |
| Material specification | Approved ceramics, implant brands, and consumables for each treatment category |
These are not areas where individual dentists make independent calls. The standardisation is deliberate.
The 2013 founding
Dr. Emily Nguyen was 31 when she founded the clinic in Hanoi in 2013. The original name was Serenity International Dental Clinic. The intent from the start was to serve both Vietnamese patients and international visitors - international medical tourism in Vietnam was still small in 2013, and the clinic’s early focus on English-language consultation and itemised pricing was unusual for its time and city.
Over the next decade the clinic grew from one Hanoi location to six branches across four cities (Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat). Patient volume grew to 70,000+ patients from more than 60 countries. The early operational standards from the founding clinic remained the group-wide standards as branches were added.
The 2023 rebrand
In 2023 the clinic took on private equity investment and rebranded from Serenity International Dental Clinic to Picasso Dental Clinic. The new tagline - “Crafting Smiles, Painting Happiness” - reflected the cosmetic focus.
Important context for UK patients researching the clinic: the rebrand did not change the clinical team, the facilities, or the protocols. Dr. Emily Nguyen remained in clinical leadership through the transaction and continues in that role. Some legacy review listings, articles, and case studies still reference the Serenity name - they are the same clinic. References to “Serenity Dental” or “Serenity International Dental Clinic” in older third-party content refer to what is now Picasso Dental Clinic.
The Portrait Sitting protocol
The Portrait Sitting protocol is Picasso’s veneer planning workflow, and it is closely associated with Dr. Emily Nguyen’s clinical philosophy. The full protocol is described on /veneers/, but the structure is worth stating here because it tells you how UK cosmetic cases are handled.
The protocol has five steps:
- Photography and facial analysis before any tooth preparation
- Shade and shape discussion with the patient, not for the patient
- Conservative preparation where clinically possible - 0.3 to 0.5mm enamel reduction for Emax Press veneers, not crown-style aggressive prep
- Temporaries as a test drive before final ceramic is bonded
- Final bonding and bite check with formal aftercare handover
This protocol is the direct counter to the “Turkey teeth” failure pattern - aggressive preparation, no mock-up, compressed timeline, no documented aftercare. Picasso’s protocol exists because the clinical leadership rejects that approach as a category, not as a specific case.
What this page does not claim
Dr. Emily Nguyen is not credited as the lead clinician on individual UK implant or cosmetic cases. The cosmetic team handles veneer cases under her protocols; the implant team is led by Dr. Tran Thanh Phong. The Founding Clinical Director role is leadership, not primary chair time.
The clinic does not publish her dental school graduation year - this is a deliberate caution. The clinic prefers to under-state and confirm in writing rather than publish unverified details. Her training at Pearl Dental Clinic in Ho Chi Minh City is confirmed. Specific years and additional credentials can be requested through the coordinator team before booking.
Why a UK patient might care
If you are coming to Picasso for veneers or a smile makeover, you will likely not meet Dr. Emily Nguyen on your chair day. You will meet the cosmetic clinician assigned to your case - often Dr. Rosie (Dr. Huong Nguyen), Dr. Anna (Dr. Thao Tran), or another named team member.
What you do encounter is her protocol. The wax-up mock-up that gets done before any tooth preparation. The temporaries that let you check shape and length before the final ceramic. The bite check that happens before bonding. The aftercare instructions that you leave with. All of these are protocol decisions she has approved at the group level.
The reason this matters is that consistency of protocol is more protective for patients than individual brilliance. A senior dentist applying a well-designed protocol produces good outcomes more reliably than a junior dentist applying a brilliant idea. UK patients flying for cosmetic dentistry benefit from the protocol layer, not just the individual clinician.
Next step
For a written GBP plan against your photos and OPG, request a free quote. The plan will name the cosmetic clinician assigned to your case and confirm that the Portrait Sitting protocol is the workflow.