D7630 — Mandible — open reduction (teeth immobilized, if present)
One of the codes covering the surgical treatment of facial fractures and associated wounds. D7630 is the open-reduction version for the lower jaw.
It is one of 24 codes covering facial fracture treatment and wound repair. For the procedure itself rather than the code, see the facial fracture treatment and wound repair guide; for the code, read on.
What the code requires, what it costs, how it is paid, and how to tell it from its neighbours — each in its own section below.
What has to be true for D7630 to apply
Bone — the lower jaw. The mandible is the most commonly fractured facial bone, and it often breaks in two places because it is a ring of bone. Muscle pull tends to displace the fragments, which is why the lower jaw needs fixation more often than the other facial bones do.
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 — lower. The bone is denser, but there is far less surface area to support anything removable and the nerve running through the jaw limits how aggressive surgery can be.
D7630 compared with its closest relatives
D7620 — Maxilla — closed reduction (teeth immobilized, if present): It is the same procedure on the upper jaw rather than the lower jaw, and by closed reduction rather than open.
D7640 — Mandible — 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.
D7610 — Maxilla — open reduction (teeth immobilized, if present): It is the same procedure on the upper jaw rather than the lower jaw.
D7650 — Malar and/or zygomatic arch — open reduction: It is the same procedure on the cheekbone rather than the lower jaw.
D7630 sits in a group of 24 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 D7630 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 D7630
What does dental code D7630 mean?
Mandible, open reduction, teeth immobilized, if present, reported under a single oral and maxillofacial surgery code.
Is D7630 expensive?
Between $2,000–$9,000 in most practices — and that is the figure before any benefit is applied, not what you would pay at the desk.
Does dental insurance cover D7630?
In most cases yes, at the medical / oral surgery rate: variable. The annual maximum is what usually decides how much of that you actually see.
What is the difference between D7630 and D7620?
D7620 is maxilla, closed reduction, teeth immobilized, if present: it is the same procedure on the upper jaw rather than the lower jaw, and by closed reduction rather than open. Nothing else separates them, which is exactly why a claim submitted under the wrong one of the two is such a common correction.
Also known as: jaw fracture, facial trauma, open reduction, closed reduction, maxillofacial injury.