D7610 — Maxilla — open reduction (teeth immobilized, if present)
One of the codes covering the surgical treatment of facial fractures and associated wounds. D7610 is the open-reduction version for the upper jaw.
There are 24 codes for facial fracture treatment and wound repair and they are not interchangeable. This page covers this one; the facial fracture treatment and wound repair guide covers the treatment they all share.
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.
The specifics of D7610
Bone — the upper jaw. Maxillary fractures usually follow a recognised pattern through the midface, and the priority is restoring the bite: the upper teeth have to meet the lower ones the way they did before. That is why these cases are managed jointly with the dental occlusion in mind rather than as isolated bone work.
Technique — open reduction. The bone is exposed through an incision so the fractured ends can be seen and held directly, usually with plates and screws. It is the more involved of the two approaches and the one used when the fragments will not line up any other way, when they are displaced, or when several pieces are involved. It carries the higher fee of the pair for that reason.
Fracture type — simple (closed). The overlying skin and mucosa are intact, so the fracture site is not contaminated. These are the lower-numbered fracture codes and the lower fees; the same bone treated as a compound fracture has a separate code higher in the range.
Arch — upper. The palate provides broad support for anything removable, but the sinuses sit directly above the back teeth, which constrains surgical work.
The nearby codes and how they differ
D7620 — Maxilla — closed reduction (teeth immobilized, if present): It is the closed-reduction version of the same injury — the fragments are set without exposing the bone, which is why it is the cheaper of the two.
D7630 — Mandible — open reduction (teeth immobilized, if present): It is the same procedure on the lower jaw rather than the upper jaw.
D7640 — Mandible — closed reduction (teeth immobilized, if present): It is the same procedure on the lower jaw rather than the upper jaw, and by closed reduction rather than open.
D7650 — Malar and/or zygomatic arch — open reduction: It is the same procedure on the cheekbone rather than the upper jaw.
D7610 sits in a group of 24 codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. The safest question to ask is not "what does this cost" but "which code is going on the claim". The first answer changes; the second decides the first.
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 D7610
What procedure is D7610?
Read literally, D7610 means maxilla, open reduction, teeth immobilized, if present — and payers do read it literally.
Is D7610 expensive?
Plan for $2,000–$9,000 as the full fee. Two practices a few miles apart can sit at opposite ends of that range for the same work.
How do dental plans handle D7610?
Typically, yes — medical / oral surgery benefits, variable. What varies between plans is the frequency limit rather than whether the procedure is covered at all.
What is the difference between D7610 and D7620?
D7620 is maxilla, closed reduction, teeth immobilized, if present: it is the closed-reduction version of the same injury — the fragments are set without exposing the bone, which is why it is the cheaper of the two. The rest of the procedure is the same, which is why the two get substituted for one another on estimates.
Also known as: jaw fracture, facial trauma, open reduction, closed reduction, maxillofacial injury.