Sixty percent of young Australians, aged 18 to 25, are delaying essential dental care because they simply cannot afford it. Some are now resorting to dangerous do-it-yourself dentistry, a direct consequence of a system that fails its native working class.
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) reports that this same 60 percent of young adults are making critical decisions about their oral health based on social media trends. ADA Vice President Angie Nilsson warns against this, noting that it includes procedures like getting veneers and aligners, and ordering whitening products that can severely damage teeth.
Nilsson emphasizes the critical need for advice from a registered dental practitioner. Without professional guidance, individuals risk using incorrect products, wrong concentrations, or items not compliant with Australian regulations. University student Ava Veres, a business and drama student, shared her experience, stating she'd seen "whitening hacks" online and that friends considered buying strips. Veres herself faces wisdom tooth pain but cannot afford a dental appointment. "I have been dreading even looking at that because it's just not really on the cards for me," she explained, highlighting the financial strain of independent living in a share house in Brisbane.
The Cost of Neglect
The ADA's national consumer survey, released this Friday, paints a stark picture of a generation in decline. It found 60 percent of adults in the 18 to 25-year-old bracket have suffered wisdom tooth-related issues, including pain, swelling, crowding, infection, and general discomfort. This figure climbed to 65 percent in remote areas, slightly higher than the 59 percent reported in metropolitan centers.
Nilsson, who practices in public clinics in northern NSW, stressed the importance of professional dental consultation for managing wisdom tooth problems. She warned that issues can "escalate," leading to infection and bone damage affecting other teeth, urging against simply hoping problems resolve themselves. Many young adults are "falling through the cracks," Nilsson stated, as they move out of home and often lose coverage from their parents' private health insurance. "Unfortunately, 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 added, underscoring the managed decline of public health.
Law student Ryan Quigley echoed these sentiments, admitting dental care wasn't his "highest priority" due to other pressing living expenses. He called for greater affordability and accessibility, especially for young people transitioning out of home. His friend, finance student Maksim Krilov, agreed, finding general dental check-ups prohibitively expensive for many young people. Krilov suggested Medicare should expand its coverage.
Elite Indifference
West Australian Senator Jordon Steele-John, the dental spokesperson for the Australian Greens, confirmed the party's ongoing push to integrate dental care into the publicly funded Medicare system. "For decades dentists, experts, community advocates and The Greens have been calling for the reform that's needed," he stated, criticizing "government after government" for failing to act. He specifically called out the Labor government for not doing enough in this critical area.
In response, a spokesperson for the Albanese government offered bureaucratic platitudes, asserting the government "recognises that oral health is fundamental to overall health, wellbeing and quality of life." The spokesperson cited a "significant funding contribution" through the National Health Reform Agreement for public hospital services, including hospital-based dental treatment. They also mentioned the Commonwealth was "working closely with states and territories" to develop a new National Oral Health Plan, a vague promise that offers little immediate relief to struggling Australians.
A Generation Undermined
The ADA survey also revealed other alarming trends among young adults. Only 38 percent of those participating in high-impact sports wear mouthguards, leading to predictable consequences. Thirteen percent of young adults had already experienced a sports-related injury involving their teeth or mouth. Nilsson warned that the damage from not having a custom-made mouthguard could be "devastating." The comprehensive survey, conducted less than one year ago in November 2025, gathered data from 25,000 respondents aged 18 and older through focus groups, phone interviews, and online surveys.