D3320 — Endodontic therapy, premolar tooth (excluding final restoration)
Root canal treatment removes the pulp — the nerve and blood supply. D3320 is the version for a premolar.
There are three codes for root canal treatment and they are not interchangeable. This page covers this one; the root canal treatment guide covers the treatment they all share.
This page explains what that code number commits the office to, what it usually costs, how plans treat it, and — the part that causes most of the confusion — how it differs from the codes sitting immediately either side of it.
The conditions built into D3320
Tooth — a bicuspid, the transition tooth between the front teeth and the molars, which is why both appearance and chewing load have to be respected.
D3320 against the codes beside it
D3310 — Endodontic therapy, anterior tooth (excluding final restoration): It applies to front tooths rather than premolars.
D3330 — Endodontic therapy, molar tooth (excluding final restoration): It applies to molars rather than premolars.
Those two codes and D3320 are the whole group — nothing else describes this procedure. A single word separates several of these codes, and a payer reads that word literally. If the record does not support D3320 specifically, the claim comes back — usually repriced to whichever neighbouring code the reviewer thinks was actually performed.
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 |
|---|---|
| D3320 | Endodontic therapy, premolar tooth (excluding final restoration) — this page |
| D3310 | Endodontic therapy, anterior tooth (excluding final restoration) |
| D3330 | Endodontic therapy, molar tooth (excluding final restoration) |
Questions about D3320
D3320 — what is it?
D3320 is shorthand for endodontic therapy, premolar tooth, excluding final restoration — the same five characters every practice and every insurer in the country uses for it.
Is D3320 expensive?
$800–$1,600 is the realistic range before benefits. Your own share depends on your plan's percentage, deductible and remaining annual maximum.
Will my plan pay for D3320?
In most cases yes, at the basic / major rate: typically 50–80%. The annual maximum is what usually decides how much of that you actually see.
What is the difference between D3320 and D3310?
D3310 is endodontic therapy, anterior tooth, excluding final restoration: it applies to front tooths rather than premolars. That one difference is the whole distinction; the chair time, the materials and the appointment sequence are the same either way.
Also known as: root canal, endodontic treatment, RCT, nerve treatment, abscessed tooth.