D2394 — Composite filling — 4+ surfaces, posterior
A posterior composite is a bonded tooth-coloured filling in a back tooth. D2394 is the four-or-more-surface version.
It is one of four codes covering composite restoration, posterior tooth. For the procedure itself rather than the code, see the composite restoration, posterior tooth guide; for the code, read on.
The sections that follow deal with the requirements, the fee, the claim, and the neighbouring codes — the last of which is where most of the confusion starts.
What D2394 specifies
Extent — four or more surfaces. Four or more surfaces is the largest band in the group and the one most likely to be questioned on a claim, because plans expect full-coverage treatment once a tooth is this broken down.
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 D2394 is only the right code if that is what was actually used.
Tooth — a back tooth — the priority is a tight seal and a biting surface that does not interfere with the opposing tooth.
Counted — per site, and sites are counted by the surgeon's record rather than by tooth number, so the documentation drives the total.
Told apart from the codes it is confused with
D2393 — Composite filling — three surfaces, posterior: It covers three surfaces instead of four or more surfaces.
D2392 — Composite filling — two surfaces, posterior: It covers two surfaces instead of four or more surfaces.
D2391 — Composite filling — one surface, posterior: It covers a single surface instead of four or more surfaces.
Those three codes and D2394 are the whole group — nothing else describes this procedure. The practical point: confirm which of these is going on the claim before treatment, not after. Corrections after submission mean a resubmission, a delay, and occasionally a fee you did not expect.
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 |
|---|---|
| D2394 | Composite filling — 4+ surfaces, posterior — this page |
| D2391 | Composite filling — one surface, posterior |
| D2392 | Composite filling — two surfaces, posterior |
| D2393 | Composite filling — three surfaces, posterior |
Questions about D2394
What procedure is D2394?
On a claim, D2394 tells the insurer that what was performed was composite filling, 4+ surfaces, posterior.
What is the typical fee for D2394?
Expect $285–$665. Ask for the number in writing, because the code carries no fee of its own and every practice sets its own.
Is D2394 a covered benefit?
In most cases yes, at the basic rate: 70–80% of the amalgam allowance on many plans. The annual maximum is what usually decides how much of that you actually see.
What is the difference between D2394 and D2393?
D2393 is composite filling, three surfaces, posterior: it covers three surfaces instead of four or more surfaces. Everything else about the appointment is identical, so the record has to show that one detail for D2394 to be the defensible code.
Also known as: white filling, composite filling, posterior composite, molar filling, tooth-coloured filling.