By Dr. Greg Grobmyer
Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Charles Blair’s Dental Coding With Confidence

Senior Advisor at Practice Booster, an eAssist-owned dental company
Host of The Dental Code Advisor Podcast

Navigating dental codes can feel like an obstacle course with twists, turns, and hurdles. However, mastering dental coding is essential for accurate documentation and keeping your practice’s finances on track. From understanding the difference between CPT codes and CDT codes to ensuring error-free claims, effective coding helps you avoid costly setbacks and keeps your revenue cycle running smoothly. Let’s break down the essentials so you can optimize your dental billing and coding and focus on what matters most: patient care.

What Is Dental Coding?

Dental coding is the process of translating clinical procedures into standardized codes that are recognized across the industry. These codes are the official legal terminology used to precisely define dental procedures in the patient record. While this process is often used for communication with insurers, it should be used even if insurance is never involved as a way to record services used in a patient’s treatment. By using the correct CDT codes, you ensure that the care you provide is accurately documented and billed. This helps you secure timely payments and avoid misunderstandings with insurance providers.

Why Do Dental Codes Matter?

Dental codes are the legal language of dentistry and the backbone of a smooth revenue cycle. Coding errors can lead to delayed payments, claim denials, and financial setbacks that hurt your practice’s cash flow. As Tiffany Wesley from Practice Booster, a firm specializing in dental coding and insurance optimization, notes:

Dental coding is a language. If you’re not speaking the same language as the insurance company, communication breaks down. The right coding can mean the difference between money in the bank and payments left hanging.”

By staying up to date with current CDT codes and applying them correctly, you’ll ensure that payments are timely and accurate — critical for maintaining the financial health of your practice.

What Are CDT Codes?

Maintained by the American Dental Association (ADA), Current Dental Terminology (CDT) codes are essential for the legal documentation of procedures and precise communication with others involved in a patient’s care, including claims submission and insurance reimbursements. Organized into 13 categories, CDT codes cover a broad range of dental procedures, from diagnostics to sleep apnea services.

Each CDT code consists of a 5-character alphanumeric sequence beginning with “D,” followed by nomenclature and often a procedure descriptor.

The 13 categories of CDT codes

The ADA categorizes CDT codes into 13 distinct categories of service, each addressing a different area of dental care. Familiarity with these categories helps ensure accurate billing and fewer claim issues.

Diagnostic
Codes for diagnostic procedures, from evaluations to radiographs, form the foundation for accurate treatment planning.
Preventive
Preventive codes cover services like cleanings and fluoride treatments, aimed at maintaining oral health.
Restorative
Restorative codes apply to fillings, crowns, and other repairs for decayed or damaged teeth.
Endodontics
Endodontic codes are used for root canals and procedures addressing tooth pulp issues.
Periodontics
Codes for periodontal treatments include scaling and root planing, and surgical interventions for gum health.
Prosthodontics, Removable
These codes include dentures and partials, providing solutions for patients needing removable replacements.
Maxillofacial Prosthodontics
Codes here cover prosthetics for maxillofacial areas, aiding in facial structure rehabilitation.
Implant Services
Implant codes apply to placing and restoring dental implants, offering permanent solutions for missing teeth.
Prosthodontics, Fixed
Fixed prosthodontic codes cover permanently affixed restorations like bridges and crowns.
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Surgical codes include extractions, biopsies, and other surgical procedures for treating jaw and mouth conditions.
Orthodontics
Orthodontic codes cover braces and corrective procedures for teeth and jaw alignment.
Adjunctive General Services
These codes cover miscellaneous services, from anesthesia to office visits, supporting comprehensive care.
Sleep Apnea Services
This category, new as of 2025, includes codes for fabricating and adjusting appliances for the treatment of sleep apnea.

Common CDT codes in dentistry

CDT codes are the foundation of dental billing, covering preventive to restorative care. Frequently used CDT codes include:

D0120: Routine evaluations on existing patients
D0150: Comprehensive evaluations on new patients (D0180 may be the better code for periodontal patients)
D0210: Full-mouth set of x-rays (D0210 can be a common coding error when mixed up with D0220 and D0230.)
D1110: Adult cleanings (D1110 is a common coding error when mixed up with D1120)
D1206: Fluoride varnish applications
D1208: Non-varnish fluoride applications
D4341: Scaling and root planning (D4341 can be a common coding error when mixed up with D4342)
D2740: Porcelain crowns
D7210: Surgical extractions (D7210 can be a common coding error when mixed up with D7140)
D9110: Palliative care for pain relief (D9110 can be a common coding error when used instead of D0140)

Accurate CDT coding ensures reimbursement and supports efficient claims processing. Codes like D1110 and D1206 help promote preventive care, saving patients from future costly treatments and keeping your practice financially healthy.

Why should your practice stay current with CDT codes?

Keeping up with code updates in dental billing is essential to prevent claim denials and delays.

“Accurate coding can mean the difference between getting paid and endlessly waiting on a claim,” says Wesley.

Since 2020, almost 250 changes have been made to CDT codes, underscoring the importance of regular reviews to stay up to date and optimize reimbursements.

What Are CPT Codes in Dental?

Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes are the medical equivalent of CDT procedural codes. They are used to document and communicate procedures to medical insurers when appropriate. CPT codes are determined by the American Medical Association.

CPT vs. CDT codes: what’s the difference?

For accurate billing, it’s essential to understand when to use CPT versus CDT codes:

CDT codes: Primarily for dental procedures, CDT codes streamline claims processing with dental insurers.
CPT codes: Required for procedures involving a medical component — such as oral surgeries or biopsies — when submitting claims through medical insurance.

In some complex procedures impacting overall health, both CPT and CDT codes may be needed to maximize reimbursement and ensure compliance. Examples include TMJ surgery, sleep apnea treatment, bone grafts with implants, and cancer screenings with biopsy.

Common CPT codes in dentistry

When dental treatments overlap with medical care, especially for advanced imaging or specialized procedures, CPT codes support billing through medical insurance. Key CPT codes include:

70486: CT scans of the maxillofacial area without contrast, often used for imaging the jaw and sinuses
76376 and 76377: 3D rendering (with and without physician supervision) for planning procedures like implants and jaw surgeries
41870: Periodontal mucosal grafting to treat gum recession
41899 is a catch-all for dental procedures involving teeth and surrounding bone that don’t have a specific billing code. It’s used when there’s no other fitting code, and extra details are usually required to explain the procedure for insurance purposes.

Using these codes correctly can streamline billing for cases impacting overall health, ensuring reimbursement for high-tech imaging and specialized care in areas like TMJ or sleep apnea.

What Are ICD-10 Codes?

ICD-10 codes (or more officially, ICD-10-CM codes—International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification) give the diagnosis or the “why” behind a medical procedure performed on a dental patient. CPT codes, on the other hand, are for indicating the type of medical procedure required. ICD-10 codes are more commonly required.

Common ICD-10 codes

The first three characters of an ICD-10 code categorize the diagnosis or injury, for example:

K: Teeth and oral soft tissue
M: Jaw and orthodontics
S: Trauma

The remaining characters give detail about the cause, anatomical location, and severity of an injury or illness. ICD-10-CM uses a placeholder character “X” to allow for future expansion of certain codes.

Examples of frequently used ICD-10 codes include:

K05.30: Chronic periodontitis
K02.52: Dental caries on pit and fissure surface penetrating into dentin
M26.31: Crowding of fully erupted teeth
S02.5xxA: Fracture of tooth (traumatic), initial encounter for closed fracture

The Role of Dental Coders and Who Is Responsible

Accurate dental coding is key to a practice’s financial success, and it requires specialized knowledge and attention to detail. Let’s look at the role of dental coders and who typically handles coding tasks in a dental office.

What does a dental coder do?

A dental coder translates clinical procedures into CDT codes for insurance claims, ensuring each procedure is accurately coded to secure timely payments. This role is crucial, as correct dental coding not only serves as the legal documentation of services provided, but also maximizes reimbursements. Additionally, it reduces the risk of audits and claim denials. By staying up-to-date on coding changes, a dental coder ensures that the practice remains compliant and that patient treatments are accurately reflected in billing.

Who handles dental coding in the practice?

In many dental practices, coding responsibilities are assigned to the office manager or billing coordinator. In smaller practices, these tasks might fall to the dental assistant or even the dentist themselves. Ultimately, the codes submitted on the claim form are a legal statement of the services provided. Knowingly providing false, incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information on the claim form may be construed as an attempt to defraud and may have legal consequences.

Regardless of who manages dental coding, it’s essential they have a strong understanding of CDT codes, insurance guidelines, and documentation standards. Proper training and resources ensure that coding errors are minimized, claims are reimbursed accurately, and the practice’s revenue cycle remains healthy.

How to Upskill Your Team in Dental Coding

Here are a few strategies to build coding skills and minimize claim issues:

Education: Train your team on the proper interpretation and use of current codes, as well as when to use CDT codes vs. CPT codes. Consider resources or a custom coding review and training from a company like Practice Booster.
PMS support: Use practice management software that supports medical and dental claims.
Insurance consultation: Confirm coding and documentation requirements directly with insurance providers.
COB protocols: Establish clear procedures for coordination of benefits and claim order submission to avoid denials.

Best Practices for Accurate Dental Codes

Using accurate dental codes and proper documentation is extremely important because as Wesley notes, “Without proof of medical necessity, a claim may be denied.”

Achieving accuracy in billing and maximizing reimbursements starts with these best practices:

Use reliable resources: Trusted resources like Practice Booster’s ““Dental Coding with Confidence” are invaluable, providing comprehensive, user-friendly guidance with regular dental code updates, error prevention, and expert insights.
Avoid common dental coding errors: Selecting the wrong dental code can delay or reduce payment. For instance, D0140 (limited oral evaluation) should not be used for every emergency if D9110 (palliative care) or D3221 (pulpal debridement) better describes the service.
Submit thorough documentation: Documentation like clinical notes, radiographs, and intraoral images supports coding, speeding up reimbursements and minimizing denials.

Dental Coding Pain Points That Are Draining Your Revenue (And How to Fix Them!)

If your practice is struggling with dental coding, you’re not alone. Here are some common pain points—and solutions to keep your practice running smoothly:

Frequent coding errors: Small mistakes add up, leading to revenue losses and rejected claims.
Solution: Keep dental billing and coding resources updated to avoid costly errors. Our 2025 coding webinar can help you start the year fresh.

Documentation mismatches: When documentation doesn’t align with the codes, denials follow.
Solution: Standardize documentation practices for consistency.

Insurance verification issues: Insurance details change often, and manual verification can lead to missed information.
Solution: Automate insurance verification to prevent errors and delays.

Inefficient workflows: Manually managing claims and payments wastes time and can lead to errors.
Solution: Automate tasks like claim submissions and payment postings to streamline workflow.

Lack of regular training: Coding guidelines evolve, and without training, teams may miss updates that affect revenue.
Solution: Invest in regular staff training to stay current with code changes and documentation requirements.

Simplify Your Practice Revenue Cycle By Outsourcing Your Dental Billing and Coding

Coding problems can be complex, creating bottlenecks that affect revenue and frustrate your team. If you don’t have time to invest in ongoing training, to maintain thorough documentation, or to stay informed about code updates, consider outsourcing your dental billing and coding. Taking the process out of house can free up your team’s time, streamline your revenue cycle, and enhance your financial stability.

Set up a quick call to find out how we help you collect every dollar you’re owed!

Dental Codes 101: Guide to Boosting Revenue