Sixty percent of Australian adults aged 18 to 25 are making dental decisions based on social media advice rather than professional guidance, according to a survey released Friday by the Australian Dental Association. The trend reflects a broader affordability crisis pushing young people toward unregulated online products—whitening strips, aligners, and veneers ordered from unvetted sources—that carry genuine health risks.
The problem isn't simply vanity. The ADA's national consumer survey, conducted less than one year ago via focus groups, phone interviews, and online surveys with 25,000 respondents aged 18 and older, found that 60 percent of young adults in the 18 to 25 bracket have experienced wisdom tooth-related issues including pain, swelling, crowding, infection, and discomfort. In remote areas, that figure climbed to 65 percent. Yet many of these young people are simply avoiding professional treatment altogether.
The Affordability Squeeze
University student Ava Veres articulated the core problem plainly: she's experiencing pain from her wisdom teeth but "can't afford to book a dental appointment." "I have been dreading even looking at that because it's just not really on the cards for me," she said. Veres, a business and drama student living in a Brisbane share house, explained that "expenses are on me now"—the moment young Australians move out of home, they often lose access to their parents' private health insurance and face the full cost of dental care alone.
Ryan Quigley, a law student, acknowledged that visiting the dentist crossed his mind. But it wasn't "the highest priority" given his other living expenses. "It definitely needs to become more affordable, especially for young people making the transition, like myself, out of home," he said. His friend, finance student Maksim Krilov, was blunt: "General dental check-ups were too expensive for a lot of young people."
Angie Nilsson, vice president of the Australian Dental Association and a practitioner in public clinics in northern NSW, described the situation as young adults "falling through the cracks." Many are "delaying dental visits until something goes wrong, and by then the problem is often more painful, more complex, and more expensive to treat." She emphasized that catching problems early costs less in both pain and money.
The Social Media Trap
The survey found that 60 percent of young adults aged 18 to 25 are sourcing dental guidance from social media platforms. This includes purchasing whitening products that "could damage teeth," according to Nilsson. Veres said she'd seen "whitening hacks" and ads for whitening strips circulating online, and "some of her friends had considered buying them recently."
Nilsson stressed that the ADA does not recommend DIY dental treatments without "a registered dental practitioner advising and ensuring people are getting the right product, the right concentration and that it is in line with Australian regulations." The risks aren't theoretical. Unregulated whitening products can cause enamel damage, sensitivity, and long-term tooth deterioration. Aligners ordered online bypass the professional assessment needed to ensure they won't cause bone loss or permanent misalignment.
The survey also revealed a secondary safety crisis: only 38 percent of young adults who played high-impact sports were wearing mouthguards, and 13 percent had experienced sports-related injuries to their teeth or mouth. Nilsson warned that "the damage that can be done by not having a custom-made mouth guard from a dental practitioner, it could be devastating."
Government Response Falls Short
When asked about the affordability crisis, the Albanese government's spokesperson said it "recognises that oral health is fundamental to overall health, wellbeing and quality of life." The government pointed to its "significant funding contribution through the National Health Reform Agreement for public hospital services, including hospital-based dental treatment," and said it was "working closely with states and territories" to develop a new National Oral Health Plan.
Those efforts clearly haven't kept pace with demand. Dental spokesperson for the Australian Greens, West Australian Senator Jordon Steele-John, criticized the government for not doing "enough in this area," calling for dental care to be included in the publicly funded Medicare system. "For decades dentists, experts, community advocates and The Greens have been calling for the reform that's needed, bringing dental care into Medicare and yet we've seen government after government fail to take the action that is needed," he said.
Nilsson offered practical guidance for young adults managing oral health on limited budgets. "Brushing twice a day for two minutes with a fluoride toothpaste is key," she said. "Spit don't rinse is a good one — because then you get a layer of the toothpaste on there." Good daily habits can prevent many problems before they become expensive emergencies.
Why This Matters:
This trend exposes a market failure in Australia's dental care system. When young adults rationally choose to skip professional care because prices exceed their ability to pay, they don't simply disappear from the system—they migrate to unregulated alternatives that create worse health outcomes and ultimately higher costs. A 25-year-old who avoids a $300 professional cleaning because she can't afford it, then develops a serious infection requiring emergency treatment, ends up costing the public system far more. The DIY dentistry boom isn't a lifestyle choice; it's a rational response to pricing that's disconnected from young people's actual incomes. Whether the solution involves expanding public coverage, reducing regulatory barriers that limit supply, or reforming how private insurance works, the current arrangement is producing neither good health outcomes nor fiscal efficiency. Young Australians are voting with their wallets, and they're choosing social media over dentists.