D2930 — Prefabricated stainless steel crown — primary tooth
D2930 fits a ready-made stainless steel cap over a badly decayed baby tooth, the standard treatment where a filling would not survive.
Of the six codes covering prefabricated crown, 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 prefabricated crown guide.
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.
D2930 in detail
Material — prefabricated stainless steel. A stainless steel crown arrives pre-made in a range of sizes, is trimmed and crimped to fit at the chairside, and is cemented in a single visit with no laboratory stage. On a child's tooth it is the most reliable restoration there is — several studies put its survival well above that of large fillings on the same teeth — because it covers the whole tooth and has no margin exposed to further decay. It is obviously metallic, which is the only real objection to it. The material is part of the code rather than a choice made afterwards, so D2930 is only the right code if that is what was actually used.
Dentition — a primary (baby) tooth. The restoration only has to survive until the tooth is shed naturally, which changes what counts as adequate treatment and usually rules out the more expensive alternatives.
Where the line falls between D2930 and the rest
D2929 — Prefabricated porcelain/ceramic crown — primary tooth: It specifies all-ceramic, with no metal underneath rather than prefabricated stainless steel.
D2931 — Prefabricated stainless steel crown — permanent tooth: It is for permanent teeth rather than primary teeth.
D2932 — Prefabricated resin crown: It specifies resin rather than prefabricated stainless steel.
D2933 — Stainless steel crown with resin window: It is a steel crown with a resin window bonded into the front, giving a baby tooth a tooth-coloured face.
D2930 sits in a group of six codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. These distinctions exist because they change what was actually done. A claim for D2930 when the record describes one of the others is not a technicality — it is the difference between a paid claim and a returned one.
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 |
|---|---|
| D2930 | Prefabricated stainless steel crown — primary tooth — this page |
| D2929 | Prefabricated porcelain/ceramic crown — primary tooth |
| D2931 | Prefabricated stainless steel crown — permanent tooth |
| D2932 | Prefabricated resin crown |
| D2933 | Stainless steel crown with resin window |
| D2934 | Esthetic coated stainless steel crown — primary tooth |
Questions about D2930
D2930 — what is it?
Prefabricated stainless steel crown, primary tooth. It belongs to the restorative section of the code set.
Is D2930 expensive?
Most private fees fall in $260–$600. Geography accounts for more of that spread than anything clinical.
How do dental plans handle D2930?
Typically, yes — basic / major benefits, typically 50–80%. What varies between plans is the frequency limit rather than whether the procedure is covered at all.
What is the difference between D2930 and D2929?
D2929 is prefabricated porcelain/ceramic crown, primary tooth: it specifies all-ceramic, with no metal underneath rather than prefabricated stainless steel. Apart from that, the two describe the same treatment — which is why the notes for the visit matter more here than the code itself.
Also known as: stainless steel crown, prefabricated crown, paediatric crown, baby tooth crown.