Over the past 16 years, some people have been forced to use some "interesting" home remedies to cure toothaches in the outback community of Cloncurry, in Queensland's north-west.
So when South African-born dentist Thrivalen Naidoo arrived the nearly 3,000-strong community put out the welcome mat.
"We are so thrilled he's here and part of our community," Cloncurry Shire Mayor Greg Campbell said.
Dr Naidoo was visiting family in South Africa when COVID-19 hit; he hopped on one of the last flights to Australia.
He wound up taking a job in Charters Towers before eventually settling in Cloncurry in November.
According to Dr Naidoo, who says he has always been drawn to country towns rather than city lights, the move has given him job security and a laid-back lifestyle even during a pandemic.
"The business stability that rural communities offer, particularly during turbulent times, is unrivalled in the city," Dr Naidoo said.
"Not only that, the housing prices and lifestyle, in my opinion, make the country a much more enticing place to live.
But the dentist admits he had to be dragged kicking and screaming to a remote community for his first work placement.
"In South Africa, once you qualify you have to do a placement out in the community and you don't have a say in where you will end up.
"As young, rebellious students, we weren't happy with that. We went on strike and were protesting; we wanted to stay in the city.
"I was placed in a remote Zulu village, up the top of a mountain, for a year.
"I think you miss out on a lot of unique experiences when you confine yourself to the metro areas; you're cushioned, in a way."
Necessity versus vanity
Dr Naidoo said the idea of a flash smile does not weigh too heavily on the mind of a farmer.
"In the city, people care much more about having perfect, cosmetic teeth, they want that Hollywood smile. So there's a lot more bleaching procedures, et cetera.
'Interesting' home remedies
He said some outback residents had resorted to some "interesting" and gruesome DIY alternatives because they lacked access to immediate dental care.
"You get people trying to drink away a toothache and using pliers to take the teeth out themselves. I've had that a few times where the tooth has broken into pieces," he said.
"It can seem pretty crazy but it's out of necessity because services are so far away and not as accessible."
As the only dentist in town, Dr Naidoo's phone has been ringing off the hook.
Mr Campbell said having a dentist in town would improve healthcare and residents' lives.
"Having Thrivalen here makes our town that much more liveable by providing a critical form of health care to our residents," Mr Campbell said.
"We as a community have been asking for this for a long time and we're just thrilled to have Thrivalen and his practice here now."
