D2933 — Stainless steel crown with resin window
D2933 is a steel crown with a resin window bonded into the front, giving a baby tooth a tooth-coloured face.
This is one of six closely related prefabricated crown codes. The treatment is explained in full in the prefabricated crown guide — this page is about what makes this particular code different.
What follows is the detail behind the number: the conditions the code sets, its typical fee, its usual benefit treatment, and a code-by-code comparison with its closest neighbours.
The specifics of D2933
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 D2933 is only the right code if that is what was actually used.
The nearby codes and how they differ
D2932 — Prefabricated resin crown: It specifies resin rather than prefabricated stainless steel.
D2934 — Esthetic coated stainless steel crown — primary tooth: It is a baby-tooth steel crown coated in white resin all over, chosen when appearance matters to the family.
D2931 — Prefabricated stainless steel crown — permanent tooth: It fits the same ready-made steel crown on an adult tooth, normally as a holding measure until a permanent crown can be made.
D2930 — Prefabricated stainless steel crown — primary tooth: It fits a ready-made stainless steel cap over a badly decayed baby tooth, the standard treatment where a filling would not survive.
D2933 sits in a group of six codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. The descriptions differ by a few words and the fees differ by a great deal, which is why mixing them up is one of the commonest billing errors in dentistry. Ask which of these codes is being submitted and why.
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 |
|---|---|
| D2933 | Stainless steel crown with resin window — this page |
| D2929 | Prefabricated porcelain/ceramic crown — primary tooth |
| D2930 | Prefabricated stainless steel crown — primary tooth |
| D2931 | Prefabricated stainless steel crown — permanent tooth |
| D2932 | Prefabricated resin crown |
| D2934 | Esthetic coated stainless steel crown — primary tooth |
Questions about D2933
D2933 — what is it?
D2933 is shorthand for stainless steel crown with resin window — the same five characters every practice and every insurer in the country uses for it.
What should I expect to pay for D2933?
Typically $260–$600 before insurance, depending on local fees and the complexity of the individual case.
Does dental insurance cover D2933?
It is generally a covered benefit in the basic / major category, typically 50–80%. Frequency limits and waiting periods are the usual reasons a claim is refused.
What is the difference between D2933 and D2932?
D2932 is prefabricated resin crown: it specifies resin rather than prefabricated stainless steel. Because that is the only difference, a reviewer who disagrees with it simply reprices the claim to D2932 rather than refusing it.
Also known as: stainless steel crown, prefabricated crown, paediatric crown, baby tooth crown.