D7770 — Alveolus — open reduction stabilization of teeth (compound/open fracture)
One of the codes covering the surgical treatment of facial fractures and associated wounds. D7770 is the open-reduction version for the tooth-bearing ridge, 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.
This page sets out the conditions the code carries, what practices charge for it, how a plan is likely to assess it, and the named difference between it and each of its neighbours.
The specifics of D7770
Bone — the tooth-bearing ridge. An alveolar fracture takes a segment of bone and the teeth in it together, typically from a direct blow to the front of the mouth. Treatment stabilises the teeth along with the bone, and the survival of those teeth is the thing being judged afterwards.
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 D7770 differs from its neighbours
D7771 — Alveolus — closed reduction stabilization of teeth (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.
D7760 — Malar and/or zygomatic arch — closed reduction (compound/open fracture): It is the same procedure on the cheekbone rather than the tooth-bearing ridge, and by closed reduction rather than open.
D7780 — Facial bones — complicated reduction with fixation and multiple surgical approaches (compound/open): It is the same procedure on the facial bones rather than the tooth-bearing ridge, and by complicated reduction rather than open.
D7750 — Malar and/or zygomatic arch — open reduction (compound/open fracture): It is the same procedure on the cheekbone rather than the tooth-bearing ridge.
D7770 sits in a group of 24 codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. The descriptions differ by a few words and the fees differ by a great deal, which is why mixing them up is one of the commonest billing errors in dentistry. Ask which of these codes is being submitted and why.
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 D7770
D7770 — what is it?
Read literally, D7770 means alveolus, open reduction stabilization of teeth, compound/open fracture — and payers do read it literally.
How much does D7770 cost?
Usually somewhere in $2,000–$9,000 as a gross fee. The code fixes what was done, not what it costs, so ask for the practice's own figure in writing.
Does dental insurance cover D7770?
Plans generally pay it as medical / oral surgery treatment, variable, subject to whatever is left of your maximum for the year.
What is the difference between D7770 and D7771?
D7771 is alveolus, closed reduction stabilization of teeth, 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. Apart from that, the two describe the same treatment — which is why the notes for the visit matter more here than the code itself.
Also known as: jaw fracture, facial trauma, open reduction, closed reduction, maxillofacial injury.