D3911 — Intraorifice barrier
D3911 places a barrier over the canal openings after root canal treatment, sealing them off from anything above.
This is one of four closely related endodontic complications and obstructions codes. The treatment is explained in full in the endodontic complications and obstructions guide — this page is about what makes this particular code different.
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.
Not to be confused with
D3333 — Internal root repair of perforation defects: It repairs a perforation in the root from the inside, sealing a hole made by decay, resorption or an instrument.
D3332 — Incomplete endodontic therapy; inoperable, unrestorable, or fractured tooth: It is billed when root canal treatment has to be abandoned because the tooth turns out to be unrestorable or fractured.
D3331 — Treatment of root canal obstruction; non-surgical access: It clears a blockage in a canal — a ledge, a calcification, a separated file — without resorting to surgery.
Those three codes and D3911 are the whole group — nothing else describes this procedure. If an estimate lists D3911 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.
| Code | Procedure |
|---|---|
| D3911 | Intraorifice barrier — this page |
| D3331 | Treatment of root canal obstruction; non-surgical access |
| D3332 | Incomplete endodontic therapy; inoperable, unrestorable, or fractured tooth |
| D3333 | Internal root repair of perforation defects |
Questions about D3911
What is D3911 on my dental bill?
The procedure behind the number is intraorifice barrier, filed under endodontics.
Is D3911 expensive?
Expect $60–$180. Ask for the number in writing, because the code carries no fee of its own and every practice sets its own.
How do dental plans handle D3911?
Usually yes, as basic / major treatment at variable — but coverage turns on your own policy, its annual maximum and any waiting period.
What is the difference between D3911 and D3333?
D3333 is internal root repair of perforation defects: it repairs a perforation in the root from the inside, sealing a hole made by decay, resorption or an instrument. They share a section of the code set and very little else, so the comparison worth making is on what each involves rather than on which is cheaper.
Also known as: blocked canal, separated instrument, root perforation, incomplete root canal.