D3430 — Retrograde (root-end) filling — per root
D3430 is the filling placed into the cut end of the root during apex surgery, sealing the canal from behind, and is billed per root.
This code belongs to a set of nine covering apicoectomy and periradicular surgery. The clinical detail lives in the apicoectomy and periradicular surgery guide; the code-level detail is here.
Below: the conditions built into this particular code, a realistic fee range, what happens when it reaches an insurer, and a side-by-side comparison with the codes most often substituted for it.
What the code commits to
Counted — per root rather than per tooth, so the total depends on the anatomy of the specific tooth being treated.
Where the line falls between D3430 and the rest
D3431 — Biologic materials with periradicular surgery: It adds a biologic material — a protein, growth factor or membrane — to root-end surgery to improve how the bone heals.
D3428 — Bone graft with periradicular surgery (single site): It is counted per site rather than per root.
D3432 — Guided tissue regeneration with root surgery: It adds guided tissue regeneration to root surgery, using a barrier so that bone rather than soft tissue fills the defect.
D3427 — Periradicular surgery without apicoectomy: It is periradicular surgery in which the root tip is not cut off: the lesion is cleared and the area repaired, but the apex is left intact.
D3430 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.
| Code | Procedure |
|---|---|
| D3430 | Retrograde (root-end) filling — per root — this page |
| D3410 | Apicoectomy — anterior tooth |
| D3421 | Apicoectomy — premolar (first root) |
| D3425 | Apicoectomy — molar (first root) |
| D3426 | Apicoectomy — each additional root |
| D3427 | Periradicular surgery without apicoectomy |
| D3428 | Bone graft with periradicular surgery (single site) |
| D3431 | Biologic materials with periradicular surgery |
| D3432 | Guided tissue regeneration with root surgery |
Questions about D3430
What does dental code D3430 mean?
D3430 is shorthand for retrograde (root-end) filling, per root — the same five characters every practice and every insurer in the country uses for it.
What is the typical fee for D3430?
Most private fees fall in $300–$700. Geography accounts for more of that spread than anything clinical.
Will my plan pay for D3430?
Plans generally pay it as major / surgical treatment, typically 50–80%, subject to whatever is left of your maximum for the year.
What is the difference between D3430 and D3431?
D3431 is biologic materials with periradicular surgery: it adds a biologic material — a protein, growth factor or membrane — to root-end surgery to improve how the bone heals. The two are neighbours by number rather than by treatment, so seeing both on a plan usually means both were genuinely planned.
Also known as: apicoectomy, root end surgery, endodontic surgery, retrograde filling, periradicular surgery.