D8670 — Periodic orthodontic treatment visit
D8670 is one routine adjustment visit during active orthodontic treatment, usually billed monthly against the total case fee.
There are five codes for orthodontic visits, retention and appliances and they are not interchangeable. This page covers this one; the orthodontic visits, retention and appliances guide covers the treatment they all share.
Everything below is specific to this code: what it pins down, what it is worth, how a payer handles it, and which codes it is not.
What has to be true for D8670 to apply
Counted — per visit, so the number of teeth treated at that appointment does not change the fee.
Told apart from the codes it is confused with
D8660 — Pre-orthodontic treatment visit: It is the same procedure specified for pre-orthodontic rather than for periodic orthodontic.
D8680 — Orthodontic retention (retainers): It is the retention phase: the retainers made once the braces come off, and the visits to fit them.
D8220 — Fixed appliance to control a habit: It is the fixed version of that habit appliance, cemented in so that the child cannot take it out.
D8210 — Removable appliance to control a habit: It is the removable appliance fitted to break a habit such as thumb sucking or tongue thrusting.
Those four codes and D8670 are the whole group — nothing else describes this procedure. Because the wording of these codes is so close, substituting one for another is a routine cause of rejected claims and of unexpected balances. If D8670 is on your estimate, it is worth confirming that the detail it specifies matches what is actually planned.
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 |
|---|---|
| D8670 | Periodic orthodontic treatment visit — this page |
| D8210 | Removable appliance to control a habit |
| D8220 | Fixed appliance to control a habit |
| D8660 | Pre-orthodontic treatment visit |
| D8680 | Orthodontic retention (retainers) |
Questions about D8670
What is D8670 on my dental bill?
Periodic orthodontic treatment visit. It belongs to the orthodontics section of the code set.
What is the typical fee for D8670?
Usually somewhere in $150–$450 as a gross fee. The code fixes what was done, not what it costs, so ask for the practice's own figure in writing.
Will my plan pay for D8670?
Typically, yes — orthodontic benefits, variable. What varies between plans is the frequency limit rather than whether the procedure is covered at all.
What is the difference between D8670 and D8660?
D8660 is pre-orthodontic treatment visit: it is the same procedure specified for pre-orthodontic rather than for periodic orthodontic. That one difference is the whole distinction; the chair time, the materials and the appointment sequence are the same either way.
Also known as: retainer, orthodontic visit, habit appliance, thumb sucking, bracket repair.