D3920 — Hemisection (including any root removal), not including root canal therapy
D3920 cuts a multi-rooted tooth in half and removes the failed half, keeping the sound half in service.
There are eleven codes for root resection and related procedures and they are not interchangeable. This page covers this one; the root resection and related procedures guide covers the treatment they all share.
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.
Told apart from the codes it is confused with
D3921 — Decoronation or submergence of an erupted tooth: It removes the crown of a tooth and leaves the root buried in the bone, done to preserve the bone rather than to treat the tooth.
D3503 — Surgical exposure of root surface — molar: It exposes a molar root surface.
D3502 — Surgical exposure of root surface — premolar: It exposes the root surface of a premolar for the same purpose.
D3501 — Surgical exposure of root surface — anterior: It surgically uncovers the root surface of a front tooth so that a defect can be seen and assessed, without repairing it at that visit.
D3920 sits in a group of eleven codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. It is worth asking the practice to point to which of these applies. The fees are not close, and the wording is, which is precisely the combination that produces disputed bills.
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 |
|---|---|
| D3920 | Hemisection (including any root removal), not including root canal therapy — this page |
| D3450 | Root amputation — per root |
| D3460 | Endodontic endosseous implant |
| D3470 | Intentional reimplantation |
| D3471 | Surgical repair of root resorption — anterior |
| D3472 | Surgical repair of root resorption — premolar |
| D3473 | Surgical repair of root resorption — molar |
| D3501 | Surgical exposure of root surface — anterior |
| D3502 | Surgical exposure of root surface — premolar |
| D3503 | Surgical exposure of root surface — molar |
| D3921 | Decoronation or submergence of an erupted tooth |
Questions about D3920
D3920 — what is it?
Hemisection (including any root removal), not including root canal therapy. It belongs to the endodontics section of the code set.
What is the typical fee for D3920?
Between $500–$1,300 in most practices — and that is the figure before any benefit is applied, not what you would pay at the desk.
How do dental plans handle D3920?
Yes on most policies, treated as major / surgical work at variable. A waiting period on a new policy is the commonest reason it is not.
What is the difference between D3920 and D3921?
D3921 is decoronation or submergence of an erupted tooth: it removes the crown of a tooth and leaves the root buried in the bone, done to preserve the bone rather than to treat the tooth. 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: root amputation, hemisection, decoronation, root resorption, intentional reimplantation.