D7750 — Malar and/or zygomatic arch — open reduction (compound/open fracture)
One of the codes covering the surgical treatment of facial fractures and associated wounds. D7750 is the open-reduction version for the cheekbone, where the fracture has broken through the skin or the mucosa.
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.
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.
Reading D7750
Bone — the cheekbone and its arch. The zygoma forms the prominence of the cheek and the outer wall of the eye socket. Displacement shows up as a flattened cheek, a step in the orbital rim, numbness of the cheek and upper lip, and sometimes double vision — which is why these are assessed for the eye as much as for the bone.
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 — compound (open). The fracture communicates with the outside, through a break in the skin or through the mouth, which means it is contaminated from the moment it happens. That changes the treatment: debridement, antibiotics and earlier intervention, and it puts the case in the higher-numbered half of the fracture range with a correspondingly higher fee.
How D7750 differs from its neighbours
D7740 — Mandible — closed reduction (compound/open fracture): It is the same procedure on the lower jaw rather than the cheekbone, and by closed reduction rather than open.
D7760 — Malar and/or zygomatic arch — closed reduction (compound/open fracture): 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.
D7730 — Mandible — open reduction (compound/open fracture): It is the same procedure on the lower jaw rather than the cheekbone.
D7770 — Alveolus — open reduction stabilization of teeth (compound/open fracture): It is the same procedure on the tooth-bearing ridge rather than the cheekbone.
D7750 sits in a group of 24 codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. Two of these codes on one estimate is not necessarily an error, but it is always worth asking what each line is for.
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 D7750
What does dental code D7750 mean?
It is the entry for malar and/or zygomatic arch, open reduction, compound/open fracture. A practice cannot use it for anything broader than that, which is what makes the code useful to you.
How much does D7750 cost?
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 D7750?
Most plans include it under medical / oral surgery benefits, variable. A pre-treatment estimate is the only way to know your own number in advance.
What is the difference between D7750 and D7740?
D7740 is mandible, closed reduction, compound/open fracture: it is the same procedure on the lower jaw rather than the cheekbone, and by closed reduction rather than open. 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.