D3921 — Decoronation or submergence of an erupted tooth
D3921 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.
It is one of eleven codes covering root resection and related procedures. For the procedure itself rather than the code, see the root resection and related procedures guide; for the code, read on.
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.
Told apart from the codes it is confused with
D3920 — Hemisection (including any root removal), not including root canal therapy: It cuts a multi-rooted tooth in half and removes the failed half, keeping the sound half in service.
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.
D3921 sits in a group of eleven codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. There is no penalty for asking which of these is planned, and there is a real cost to finding out from an explanation of benefits weeks later.
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 D3921
What procedure is D3921?
It is the endodontics code for decoronation or submergence of an erupted tooth, and it means that specific procedure and no other.
How much does D3921 cost?
$400–$1,100 covers most of the country. Specialist practices and big-city addresses tend to sit in the upper half.
Is D3921 a covered benefit?
Usually yes, as major / surgical treatment at variable — but coverage turns on your own policy, its annual maximum and any waiting period.
What is the difference between D3921 and D3920?
D3920 is hemisection (including any root removal), not including root canal therapy: it cuts a multi-rooted tooth in half and removes the failed half, keeping the sound half in service. These are not two versions of one procedure: they are separate treatments, and a plan assesses each on its own merits.
Also known as: root amputation, hemisection, decoronation, root resorption, intentional reimplantation.