In the not-so-distant past, implants were not very predictable. Technology has advanced significantly, and today’s implants are much more predictable and reliable for patients. Implants are a new adjunct to dentistry, providing patients the option for the highest standard of tooth replacement. The CDT codes have...
When speaking at various dental meetings, and when responding to email questions about extractions, I have encountered some confusion about the difference between simple extractions (code D7140) and surgical extractions (code D7210). Understanding the differences requires understanding the nomenclature, so let’s dive into each so...
What is the code maintenance committee? The Code Maintenance Committee (CMC) is a committee charged with evaluating and voting on CDT changes while maintaining the best interests of the dental profession, patients, and third party payers and administrators. The CMC consists of 24 voting members and...
CDT code changes adopted by the American Dental Association’s Code Maintenance Committee become effective on January 1st each year. Dental teams are made aware of the changes when the new reference materials become available, usually around the end of July or the first of August. ...
The American Dental Association (ADA) has released its Code on Dental Procedures and Nomenclature for 2021 (CDT 2021) Please use CDT 2021 codes when submitting claims to any dental/medical insurance for services you perform on or after January 1, 2021. If you are resubmitting claims where your...
The patient owns their records and therefore is entitled to a copy (not original) whether they have a balance on their account or not. Most practices have digital radiographs, photos, and notes, so it isn't an access issue. Providing a copy to the patient or...
*From the American Dental Association: The committee added the following procedure codes to CDT 2021: *• D0604 — antigen testing for a public health-related pathogen, including coronavirus. Definition from the Merriam Webster dictionary: Antigen is any substance (such as an immunogen or a hapten) foreign to the body that...
Dental plans are required to recognize current CDT codes, it is important to understand that they are not required to provide benefits for the new or revised codes. Yearly, dentists should review each dental plan’s payment and processing policies to discover whether benefits will be...
Coding Tip: D0170 Limited, Problem Focused (Established Patient, not a post-operative visit) "Code what you do" is the mantra for filing of dental claims; however confusion over which codes to use is where we sometimes lose our way D0170 is used when the dentist is "assessing the...
D0431 is a visual cancer detection screening test, not to be confused with a biopsy, which is a different code (possibly D7288 brush biopsy which harvests transepithelial cells). If the visual oral cancer examination reveals mucosal abnormalities, the dentist may consider the biopsy or a...
