D3426 — Apicoectomy — each additional root
An apicoectomy is surgery at the tip of a root.
One of nine apicoectomy and periradicular surgery codes. If you are trying to understand the treatment, start with the apicoectomy and periradicular surgery guide; if you are trying to understand this line on your estimate, you are in the right place.
Read on for the conditions this code carries, the money involved, the way a payer is likely to treat it, and a plain comparison against each of the codes it is easily mistaken for.
What D3426 specifies
Sequence — an "each additional" code. D3426 never appears on its own. It follows the primary code for the same procedure at the same visit and carries a lower fee. A claim showing it without a matching primary code above it will be rejected.
Counted — per root. A multi-rooted tooth generates more than one line: the first root at the full fee and each additional root at a reduced one.
Where the line falls between D3426 and the rest
D3425 — Apicoectomy — molar (first root): It is the primary line this one follows.
D3427 — Periradicular surgery without apicoectomy: It is the primary line this one follows.
D3428 — Bone graft with periradicular surgery (single site): It is the primary line this one follows.
D3430 — Retrograde (root-end) filling — per root: It is the primary line this one follows.
D3426 sits in a group of nine codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. Where the codes sit this close together, the record of the appointment is what settles which one was earned. That is worth knowing before treatment rather than after.
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 D3426
What does dental code D3426 mean?
Apicoectomy, each additional root. It belongs to the endodontics section of the code set.
What is the typical fee for D3426?
Expect $350–$800. Ask for the number in writing, because the code carries no fee of its own and every practice sets its own.
Will my plan pay for D3426?
Expect major / surgical handling — typically 50–80%. Submitting an estimate first turns that percentage into a number you can rely on.
What is the difference between D3426 and D3425?
D3425 is apicoectomy, molar, first root: it is the primary line this one follows. The rest of the procedure is the same, which is why the two get substituted for one another on estimates.
Also known as: apicoectomy, root end surgery, endodontic surgery, retrograde filling, periradicular surgery.