D7310 — Alveoloplasty in conjunction with extractions — 4+ teeth/spaces per quadrant
One of the procedures that reshape the jaw ridge and the soft tissue over it, usually to allow a denture to fit. D7310 is the full-quadrant version.
Among the eleven codes in this group it is the workhorse — the one most practices report by default. The procedure behind it is explained at length in the ridge and soft-tissue reshaping guide.
Below you will find what this code specifically requires, a realistic price range, the usual benefit handling, and where it stops applying and another code begins.
Reading D7310
Extent — four or more teeth in the quadrant. Four or more teeth means the appointment covered a whole quadrant rather than an isolated problem area, which is what separates this code from its lower-count sibling and accounts for most of the fee difference.
Timing — at the extraction visit. The reshaping is done in the same appointment as the extractions, through the sockets that are already open. That is the cheaper sequence and the one plans accept most readily, because the surgical access is already there. If the teeth came out at an earlier visit, this is the wrong code.
Counted — per quadrant — one of the four corners of the mouth. The fee you are quoted is for one corner, so ask how many are planned before comparing it with anything.
Where the line falls between D7310 and the rest
D7311 — Alveoloplasty in conjunction with extractions — 1 to 3 teeth/spaces per quadrant: It is the same treatment on one to three teeth in the quadrant rather than four or more teeth in the quadrant — the distinction decides which of the two is the correct claim.
D7320 — Alveoloplasty NOT in conjunction with extractions — 4+ teeth/spaces per quadrant: It is the same reshaping at the same extent, done as a separate operation after the extraction sockets have healed rather than at the extraction visit — a second appointment, a second fee, and a plan that may treat it as elective.
D7321 — Alveoloplasty NOT in conjunction with extractions — 1 to 3 teeth/spaces per quadrant: It is the same reshaping, done as a separate operation after the extraction sockets have healed rather than at the extraction visit — a second appointment, a second fee, and a plan that may treat it as elective. It also applies to one to three teeth in the quadrant rather than four or more teeth in the quadrant.
D7471 — Removal of lateral exostosis (maxilla or mandible): It removes an exostosis — a bony lump on the outer surface of the upper or lower jaw — that rubs under a denture or a lip.
D7310 sits in a group of eleven codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. A single word separates several of these codes, and a payer reads that word literally. If the record does not support D7310 specifically, the claim comes back — usually repriced to whichever neighbouring code the reviewer thinks was actually performed.
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 D7310
D7310 — what is it?
On a claim, D7310 tells the insurer that what was performed was alveoloplasty in conjunction with extractions, 4+ teeth/spaces per quadrant.
Is D7310 expensive?
Between $400–$1,000 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 D7310?
Usually yes, as major oral surgery treatment at typically 50–80% — but coverage turns on your own policy, its annual maximum and any waiting period.
What is the difference between D7310 and D7311?
D7311 is alveoloplasty in conjunction with extractions, 1 to 3 teeth/spaces per quadrant: it is the same treatment on one to three teeth in the quadrant rather than four or more teeth in the quadrant — the distinction decides which of the two is the correct claim. Because that is the only difference, a reviewer who disagrees with it simply reprices the claim to D7311 rather than refusing it.
Also known as: alveoloplasty, torus removal, bony lump, ridge reshaping, denture preparation.