D2721 — Crown — resin with predominantly base metal
A crown is a custom-made cap that covers the entire visible part of a tooth. D2721 is the version in resin veneered over a base-metal alloy.
This is one of 15 closely related crown codes. The treatment is explained in full in the crown guide — this page is about what makes this particular code different.
The sections below cover the conditions built into the code, what it tends to cost, what a dental plan is likely to pay, and where the line falls between this code and the ones next to it.
What D2721 specifies
Material — resin veneered over a base-metal alloy. A base-metal casting with a resin facing. It is the least expensive of the faced crowns, and the facing is its weak point: it wears, stains and can debond from the metal, at which point the metal shows through. It is most often used as a temporary measure or where cost is the deciding constraint. The material is part of the code rather than a choice made afterwards, so D2721 is only the right code if that is what was actually used.
Told apart from the codes it is confused with
D2720 — Crown — resin with high noble metal: It specifies resin veneered over a high noble alloy rather than resin veneered over a base-metal alloy.
D2722 — Crown — resin with noble metal: It specifies resin veneered over a noble alloy rather than resin veneered over a base-metal alloy.
D2712 — Crown — 3/4 indirect resin-based composite: It specifies lab-processed indirect composite rather than resin veneered over a base-metal alloy.
D2710 — Crown — indirect resin-based composite: It specifies lab-processed indirect composite rather than resin veneered over a base-metal alloy.
D2721 sits in a group of 15 codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. None of these are interchangeable, even though they sound as though they might be. Checking that the code on your estimate is the one that matches the planned treatment takes a minute and prevents most billing surprises.
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 D2721
What procedure is D2721?
D2721 is shorthand for crown, resin with predominantly base metal — the same five characters every practice and every insurer in the country uses for it.
Is D2721 expensive?
Expect $950–$2,200. Ask for the number in writing, because the code carries no fee of its own and every practice sets its own.
Does dental insurance cover D2721?
Typically, yes — major benefits, typically 50% after deductible. What varies between plans is the frequency limit rather than whether the procedure is covered at all.
What is the difference between D2721 and D2720?
D2720 is crown, resin with high noble metal: it specifies resin veneered over a high noble alloy rather than resin veneered over a base-metal alloy. Nothing else separates them, which is exactly why a claim submitted under the wrong one of the two is such a common correction.
Also known as: dental crown, cap, full coverage restoration, crown and bridge.