D3910 — Surgical isolation of tooth with rubber dam
D3910 is the surgical isolation needed when a tooth cannot be sealed off with a rubber dam normally, because the gum has to be moved or the tooth built up first.
It is one of three codes covering endodontic adjuncts. For the procedure itself rather than the code, see the endodontic adjuncts guide; for the code, read on.
What follows: the specifics built into the number, the money, the benefit treatment, and the line separating it from the codes it is easiest to confuse it with.
Not to be confused with
D3950 — Canal preparation and fitting of preformed dowel/post: It prepares the canal and fits a preformed post, the step between finishing a root canal and building the tooth back up.
D3960 — Bleaching of discolored tooth (non-vital, internal): It bleaches a discoloured tooth from the inside after root canal treatment, the only way to lighten a tooth that darkened from within.
Those two codes and D3910 are the whole group — nothing else describes this procedure. A plan reads these codes as definitions, not as descriptions. If the notes for the visit do not match D3910 exactly, the claim is assessed as whichever of these the notes do match.
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 |
|---|---|
| D3910 | Surgical isolation of tooth with rubber dam — this page |
| D3950 | Canal preparation and fitting of preformed dowel/post |
| D3960 | Bleaching of discolored tooth (non-vital, internal) |
Questions about D3910
What does dental code D3910 mean?
D3910 is shorthand for surgical isolation of tooth with rubber dam — the same five characters every practice and every insurer in the country uses for it.
What is the typical fee for D3910?
$150–$400 is the realistic range before benefits. Your own share depends on your plan's percentage, deductible and remaining annual maximum.
Is D3910 a covered benefit?
Plans generally pay it as basic treatment, variable, subject to whatever is left of your maximum for the year.
What is the difference between D3910 and D3950?
D3950 is canal preparation and fitting of preformed dowel/post: it prepares the canal and fits a preformed post, the step between finishing a root canal and building the tooth back up. These are not two versions of one procedure: they are separate treatments, and a plan assesses each on its own merits.
Also known as: internal bleaching, non-vital bleaching, discoloured tooth, rubber dam isolation.