NHS dental practices are now being obliged to meet 85% of their pre-COVID activity levels or face financial penalties.
But according to the British Dental Association (BDA) nearly two-thirds of practices currently estimate they are incapable of achieving these levels.
The Department of Health says NHS England is working closely with the profession on the recovery of dental services to allow more patients to be seen.
As part of that process, they have set dental surgeries a target based on what can safely be achieved using data on dental activity achieved to date.
