D2330 — Composite filling — one surface, front tooth
A composite restoration on a front tooth is a bonded, tooth-coloured repair. D2330 is the single-surface version.
Of the four codes covering composite restoration, anterior tooth, this is the one that appears most often on treatment plans, so it is the figure most people are quoted. For the procedure itself — how the appointments run, how long the result lasts, what the alternatives are — see our composite restoration, anterior tooth guide.
The detail below covers what the code obliges the record to show, the range of fees, the likely insurance outcome, and a comparison drawn code by code.
The conditions built into D2330
Extent — a single surface. One surface is the smallest restoration that gets its own code. Everything the dentist does stays within one face of the tooth, which is why it is the cheapest line in the group.
Material — tooth-coloured composite resin. Composite is a resin filled with glass particles, placed soft and hardened with a blue curing light in layers. It bonds chemically to enamel and dentine, so the preparation can follow the decay instead of being cut to a retentive shape, and less sound tooth is lost. The trade-offs are technique sensitivity — the tooth has to be dry and isolated for the bond to work — and a shorter working life than amalgam under heavy chewing load, typically seven to twelve years on a back tooth. The material is part of the code rather than a choice made afterwards, so D2330 is only the right code if that is what was actually used.
Tooth — an incisor or canine, so the work is visible every time you speak and the colour match is judged in daylight rather than under the dental light.
Counted — per site, and sites are counted by the surgeon's record rather than by tooth number, so the documentation drives the total.
The nearby codes and how they differ
D2331 — Composite filling — two surfaces, front tooth: It covers two surfaces instead of a single surface.
D2332 — Composite filling — three surfaces, front tooth: It covers three surfaces instead of a single surface.
D2335 — Composite filling — 4+ surfaces, front tooth: It covers four or more surfaces instead of a single surface.
Those three codes and D2330 are the whole group — nothing else describes this procedure. A plan reads these codes as definitions, not as descriptions. If the notes for the visit do not match D2330 exactly, the claim is assessed as whichever of these the notes do match.
Every code in this group
These codes describe the same broad procedure and differ in one respect each. Each has its own page with its own fee range and coverage notes.
| Code | Procedure |
|---|---|
| D2330 | Composite filling — one surface, front tooth — this page |
| D2331 | Composite filling — two surfaces, front tooth |
| D2332 | Composite filling — three surfaces, front tooth |
| D2335 | Composite filling — 4+ surfaces, front tooth |
Questions about D2330
What procedure is D2330?
On a claim, D2330 tells the insurer that what was performed was composite filling, one surface, front tooth.
Is D2330 expensive?
Expect $170–$400. Ask for the number in writing, because the code carries no fee of its own and every practice sets its own.
How do dental plans handle D2330?
Most plans include it under basic benefits, typically 70–80% after deductible. A pre-treatment estimate is the only way to know your own number in advance.
What is the difference between D2330 and D2331?
D2331 is composite filling, two surfaces, front tooth: it covers two surfaces instead of a single surface. That one difference is the whole distinction; the chair time, the materials and the appointment sequence are the same either way.
Also known as: white filling, composite bonding, front tooth filling, tooth-coloured filling, chipped tooth repair.