D7945 — Osteotomy — body of mandible
D7945 cuts through the body of the lower jaw, forward of the ramus, in order to reposition it.
There are ten codes for orthognathic surgery and they are not interchangeable. This page covers this one; the orthognathic surgery guide covers the treatment they all share.
Three things matter when this code turns up on paperwork: what it obliges the practice to have actually done, what it is worth, and which nearby code it is not. All three are set out below.
The specifics of D7945
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.
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.
Where the line falls between D7945 and the rest
D7944 — Osteotomy — segmented or subapical: It cuts out and repositions a block of jaw carrying a few teeth, rather than moving a whole jaw.
D7946 — LeFort I (maxilla — total): It is the same procedure on the upper jaw rather than the lower jaw.
D7943 — Osteotomy — mandibular rami with bone graft: It is that same ramus osteotomy with a bone graft added to bridge the gap the movement creates.
D7947 — LeFort I (maxilla — segmented): It is the same procedure on the upper jaw rather than the lower jaw.
D7945 sits in a group of ten 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 D7945
What is D7945 on my dental bill?
Osteotomy, body of mandible, reported under a single oral and maxillofacial surgery code.
How much does D7945 cost?
The usual range is $4,500–$13,000. Anything well outside it is worth a question rather than an assumption.
Is D7945 a covered benefit?
Typically, yes — medical benefits, variable. What varies between plans is the frequency limit rather than whether the procedure is covered at all.
What is the difference between D7945 and D7944?
D7944 is osteotomy, segmented or subapical: it cuts out and repositions a block of jaw carrying a few teeth, rather than moving a whole jaw. These are not two versions of one procedure: they are separate treatments, and a plan assesses each on its own merits.
Also known as: jaw surgery, orthognathic surgery, LeFort osteotomy, underbite surgery, bite correction surgery.