D2510 — Metallic inlay — one surface
An inlay is a restoration made outside the mouth and then cemented into a prepared cavity. D2510 is the single-surface version in cast metal, with no ceramic layer.
This is one of nine closely related inlay codes. The treatment is explained in full in the inlay guide — this page is about what makes this particular code different.
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.
Reading D2510
Extent — a single surface. Only one face of the tooth is involved, so the outline stays inside the tooth's own contours and nothing about the contact with the tooth next door has to be rebuilt.
Material — cast metal, with no ceramic layer. A one-piece metal casting with nothing fired over it. Metal can be made far thinner than ceramic at the same strength, so less of the tooth has to be reduced, and the margins can be finished more closely than with any other material. It is obviously metallic, which limits it to positions where that does not matter. The material is part of the code rather than a choice made afterwards, so D2510 is only the right code if that is what was actually used.
How D2510 differs from its neighbours
D2520 — Metallic inlay — two surfaces: It covers two surfaces instead of a single surface.
D2530 — Metallic inlay — three or more surfaces: It covers three surfaces instead of a single surface.
D2610 — Porcelain inlay — one surface: It specifies porcelain rather than cast metal, with no ceramic layer.
D2620 — Porcelain inlay — two surfaces: It covers two surfaces instead of a single surface.
D2510 sits in a group of nine codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. The distinction is clinical, not administrative: each of these describes work that was genuinely done differently, and the fee follows the work.
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.
Questions about D2510
What procedure is D2510?
It is the entry for metallic inlay, one surface. A practice cannot use it for anything broader than that, which is what makes the code useful to you.
Is D2510 expensive?
The usual range is $735–$1,575. Anything well outside it is worth a question rather than an assumption.
Is D2510 a covered benefit?
It is generally a covered benefit in the major category, typically 50%. Frequency limits and waiting periods are the usual reasons a claim is refused.
What is the difference between D2510 and D2520?
D2520 is metallic inlay, two surfaces: it covers two surfaces instead of a single surface. The rest of the procedure is the same, which is why the two get substituted for one another on estimates.
Also known as: inlay, indirect restoration, lab-made filling, ceramic inlay, gold inlay.