D3503 — Surgical exposure of root surface — molar
D3503 exposes a molar root surface.
One of eleven root resection and related procedures codes. If you are trying to understand the treatment, start with the root resection and related procedures guide; if you are trying to understand this line on your estimate, you are in the right place.
Everything below is specific to this code: what it pins down, what it is worth, how a payer handles it, and which codes it is not.
What the code commits to
Tooth — a molar, furthest back and hardest to access, where moisture control and a clear view are the practical limits on how good the result can be.
Told apart from the codes it is confused with
D3502 — Surgical exposure of root surface — premolar: It applies to premolars rather than molars.
D3501 — Surgical exposure of root surface — anterior: It applies to front tooths rather than molars.
D3473 — Surgical repair of root resorption — molar: It is the root-resorption repair on a molar, the hardest of the three because of the access and the root anatomy.
D3472 — Surgical repair of root resorption — premolar: It applies to premolars rather than molars.
D3503 sits in a group of eleven codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. If an estimate lists D3503 and the treatment that follows matches a neighbouring code instead, the office has to resubmit — which delays the payment rather than increasing it.
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 D3503
What procedure is D3503?
It is the entry for surgical exposure of root surface, molar. A practice cannot use it for anything broader than that, which is what makes the code useful to you.
Is D3503 expensive?
Typically $500–$1,400 before insurance, depending on local fees and the complexity of the individual case.
How do dental plans handle D3503?
Typically, yes — major / surgical benefits, variable. What varies between plans is the frequency limit rather than whether the procedure is covered at all.
What is the difference between D3503 and D3502?
D3502 is surgical exposure of root surface, premolar: it applies to premolars rather than molars. The rest of the procedure is the same, which is why the two get substituted for one another on estimates.
Also known as: root amputation, hemisection, decoronation, root resorption, intentional reimplantation.