Cash-strapped Australians are increasingly turning to their superannuation to pay for major dental work, with more than 13,000 people successfully applying for early access to $313 million in retirement savings to fix their teeth.

Dental treatment withdrawals were up 70 per cent in the last financial year and accounted for 41 per cent of the total $761.7 million approved for release on compassionate grounds, according to Australian Tax Office statistics.