D7990 — Emergency tracheotomy
D7990 is the emergency tracheotomy performed to secure an airway.
There are 18 codes for other oral surgical procedures and they are not interchangeable. This page covers this one; the other oral surgical procedures guide covers the treatment they all share.
This page explains what that code number commits the office to, what it usually costs, how plans treat it, and — the part that causes most of the confusion — how it differs from the codes sitting immediately either side of it.
D7990 compared with its closest relatives
D7993 — Surgical placement of craniofacial implant — extra-oral: It places a craniofacial implant outside the mouth, the anchor a facial prosthesis then clips onto.
D7994 — Surgical placement: zygomatic implant: It places a zygomatic implant, anchored in the cheekbone where the upper jaw has too little bone left.
D7983 — Closure of salivary fistula: It closes a fistula that is leaking saliva through the skin or into the mouth.
D7982 — Sialodochoplasty (salivary duct repair): It repairs or reroutes a damaged salivary duct.
D7990 sits in a group of 18 codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. These distinctions exist because they change what was actually done. A claim for D7990 when the record describes one of the others is not a technicality — it is the difference between a paid claim and a returned one.
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 D7990
D7990 — what is it?
Emergency tracheotomy, reported under a single oral and maxillofacial surgery code.
What is the typical fee for D7990?
Between $1,500–$5,000 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 D7990?
It is generally a covered benefit in the major oral surgery category, variable. Frequency limits and waiting periods are the usual reasons a claim is refused.
What is the difference between D7990 and D7993?
D7993 is surgical placement of craniofacial implant, extra-oral: it places a craniofacial implant outside the mouth, the anchor a facial prosthesis then clips onto. They are different operations that happen to sit next to each other in the code set, so one is not an alternative way of billing the other.
Also known as: avulsed tooth, impacted canine exposure, oroantral fistula, salivary stone, vestibuloplasty.