D7948 — LeFort II or LeFort III — without bone graft
D7948 is the LeFort II or III osteotomy, which moves the midface rather than the upper jaw alone, with no grafting.
This code belongs to a set of ten covering orthognathic surgery. The clinical detail lives in the orthognathic surgery guide; the code-level detail is here.
Below: the conditions built into this particular code, a realistic fee range, what happens when it reaches an insurer, and a side-by-side comparison with the codes most often substituted for it.
Told apart from the codes it is confused with
D7947 — LeFort I (maxilla — segmented): It is the LeFort I done in segments, so that the width and the arch form can be altered as well as the position.
D7949 — LeFort II or LeFort III — with bone graft: It is the same procedure with one word changed: with rather than without.
D7946 — LeFort I (maxilla — total): It is the LeFort I osteotomy, which frees the whole upper jaw in one piece and repositions it.
D7945 — Osteotomy — body of mandible: It cuts through the body of the lower jaw, forward of the ramus, in order to reposition it.
D7948 sits in a group of ten codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. The practical point: confirm which of these is going on the claim before treatment, not after. Corrections after submission mean a resubmission, a delay, and occasionally a fee you did not expect.
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.
| Code | Procedure |
|---|---|
| D7948 | LeFort II or LeFort III — without bone graft — this page |
| D7940 | Osteoplasty — for orthognathic deformities |
| D7941 | Osteotomy — mandibular rami |
| D7943 | Osteotomy — mandibular rami with bone graft |
| D7944 | Osteotomy — segmented or subapical |
| D7945 | Osteotomy — body of mandible |
| D7946 | LeFort I (maxilla — total) |
| D7947 | LeFort I (maxilla — segmented) |
| D7949 | LeFort II or LeFort III — with bone graft |
| D7991 | Coronoidectomy |
Questions about D7948
What does dental code D7948 mean?
D7948 is shorthand for leFort II or LeFort III, without bone graft — the same five characters every practice and every insurer in the country uses for it.
Is D7948 expensive?
Most private fees fall in $8,000–$25,000. Geography accounts for more of that spread than anything clinical.
Is D7948 a covered benefit?
Usually yes, as medical treatment at variable — but coverage turns on your own policy, its annual maximum and any waiting period.
What is the difference between D7948 and D7947?
D7947 is leFort I, maxilla, segmented: it is the LeFort I done in segments, so that the width and the arch form can be altered as well as the position. One does not substitute for the other; if both are listed, ask what each appointment is actually for.
Also known as: jaw surgery, orthognathic surgery, LeFort osteotomy, underbite surgery, bite correction surgery.