All about CDT D2740 Dental Procedure Code Billing Questions

All about CDT D4346 Dental Procedure Code Billing Questions
June 27, 2022
All about CDT D4341 Dental Procedure Code Billing Questions
July 4, 2022

CDT D2740 Dental Procedure Code 

Few facts about this dental procedure code while submitting the insurance claim: 

  • This D2740 is the esthetic full-coverage crown reporting porcelain/ceramic dental procedures. With this dental procedure code, a prosthetic crown placed over a chipped, cracked, damaged, or decayed tooth yields positive cosmetic results. 
  • When considering the dental claim about the full-coverage crown, the insurers refer to the patient’s benefits plan, limitations, and exclusions. 
  • Dental PPO plans will reimburse for the prosthetic porcelain/ceramic crown fitted over the tooth within the smile zone. Porcelain crowns are lighter than the ceramic and give a more natural look. 
  • Most PPO dental plans limit the reimbursement for a crown replacement to every ten years, irrespective of the material used. 
  • If you are an in-network provider, in that case, you can charge the patient the difference between the contract rate for ceramic and paid rate. 
  • For the in-network PPO dental plan, include the seat date and not the prep date for the reimbursement. 
  • Charging an additional fee for a crown upgrade is not acceptable for PPO plans. The provider can bill for the rendered service supported by the documents, narrative and miscellaneous code. As it is an out-of-pocket payment for the patient, be very clear with all the details about the material and what is different from the covered service. 
  • Most PPO dental plans will not reimburse for the ceramic/porcelain crown placed in the rear/posterior region of the mouth. 
  • The revision in the codes from 2018 has removed the word substrate to eliminate the confusion of application to zirconium crowns. D2740 will reimburse for porcelain/ceramic crowns and not the zirconium. 
  • When using the dental code D2740, if tooth decay is not visible on the x-ray, that can be documented with a narrative indicating the location of the tooth decay. 
  • To smooth the process of coverage and payment, submitting the claim with x-rays is not enough. 
  • Also, for root-canal treatment, supporting information like an endo report with post-op x-ray indicate the completion of endo treatment. 
  • The claim form always has the pre-op and post-op x-rays to accommodate the procedure. 

How much does a prosthetic crown cost? 

As per ADA code D2740, the regular fee for the procedure is $1,168. The covered service depends upon the plan and its benefits, although if you want to upgrade from a full cast-metal to a porcelain crown, your patient has to pay the cost difference if not included in their plan.