How long is NHS dental treatment guaranteed? 12 months for a filling, root filling, inlay, veneer or crown, and two months for further treatment in the same band

An NHS filling, root filling, inlay, porcelain veneer or crown is covered for 12 months from the date it was provided. If it has to be repaired or replaced in that time, the practice does the work and the patient pays nothing. A second, shorter rule covers further treatment that the same practice finds is needed within 2 months of finishing a course.

Both periods are in the NHS dental charges regulations for England, read on legislation.gov.uk on 1 October 2026. This page gives the dates, the exceptions and what the front desk checks before anyone quotes a charge.

The 12-month rule

Regulation 6 of the Dental Charges Regulations 2005 says that where a provider has provided a restoration, and within the relevant period it "has to be repaired or replaced to secure oral health", no charge may be made for the repair or replacement. The relevant period is "the 12 month period beginning on the date on which the restoration was provided".

The contract regulations put the same duty on the practice. Schedule 3, paragraph 11 lists the restorations it covers: "any filling, root filling, inlay, porcelain veneer or crown".

Three points follow from the wording:

1. The clock starts on the day the restoration was provided, not the day the course was closed or the patient paid.
2. The rule covers a restoration provided in an urgent course of treatment as well as a routine one.
3. It covers patients who were exempt from the charge the first time.

Dentures and bridges are not on the list. The NHS website says separately that a denture repair is free.

When the 12 months do not apply

The second and third exceptions depend on a note made on the day. Without it the practice cannot rely on the advice later. Our records guide covers how long that record is kept.

The last exception is in the contract regulations only. The different treatment is not a repair or a replacement, so the bar on charging in regulation 6 does not reach it.

What the practice is credited with

Paragraph 11(3) says the repair or replacement "is a banded course of treatment" for counting units of dental activity, even though no patient charge is made. The free repair still counts towards the contract.

The two-month rule

Regulation 6(4) deals with further treatment after a course is finished. No charge may be made where all of these are true:

• the earlier course was completed, meaning the patient had "each and every component" of it
• it was not an urgent course of treatment
• within 2 months of completion, the same provider determines that further treatment is needed
• that treatment falls in the same charging band or a lower one
• the same provider carries it out

The test is the date the need is determined. The regulation says the treatment may be provided "whether or not within 2 months" of completion. The NHS website tells patients they will "have to pay for any further treatment after 2 months has passed", which is shorter than the rule.

Where the further treatment is in a higher band, the NHS website says the patient pays "the higher band fee".

Since 23 June 2026, regulation 6(4A) adds that where a provider completes a Band 2 course and starts a complex care pathway 3 for the same patient within 3 months, no charge may be made for that pathway.

Worked dates

The charges in force since 1 April 2026 are £27.90 for Band 1 and urgent treatment, £76.60 for Band 2 and £332.10 for Band 3.

A crown. Provided on 12 May 2026 for a Band 3 charge of £332.10. The 12 months run to 12 May 2027.

The regulation does not say whether the anniversary itself is inside the period; treating it as inside is the cautious reading.

Two fillings. Course completed on 3 September 2026 for a Band 2 charge of £76.60. The 2 months run to 3 November 2026.

At the front desk

1. Find the date the restoration was provided, and confirm this practice provided it.
2. Read the record for that day for a note that it was temporary, or that a different restoration was advised.
3. Ask whether anyone else has treated the tooth since.
4. Book the patient with the dentist, who decides whether the restoration has failed, whether trauma caused it and whether different treatment is needed.
5. Tell the patient the charge position before treatment starts, and record what was said.
6. If the patient disagrees, give them the complaints procedure.

A course that was never finished is a different case: see the NHS failed-to-attend policy. Urgent courses are in unscheduled care.

Private treatment

These periods apply to NHS treatment only. For private work the terms are whatever the practice told the patient, and a dispute can end at the Dental Complaints Service.

A GDC-registered professional or the practice manager reviews anything a tool drafts before it reaches a patient. This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.