D9110 — Palliative treatment for dental pain
D9110 is emergency treatment aimed only at relieving pain rather than fixing its cause, and is the code for an out-of-hours or first-aid visit.
Of the six codes covering palliative and adjunctive treatment, this is the one that appears most often on treatment plans, so it is the figure most people are quoted. For the procedure itself — how the appointments run, how long the result lasts, what the alternatives are — see our palliative and adjunctive treatment guide.
The sections below cover the conditions built into the code, what it tends to cost, what a dental plan is likely to pay, and where the line falls between this code and the ones next to it.
Told apart from the codes it is confused with
D9120 — Fixed bridge sectioning: It cuts a bridge in two, usually to save the sound part when one supporting tooth has failed.
D9910 — Desensitizing medicament application: It applies a desensitising medicament to sensitive teeth, a quick chairside application.
D9911 — Desensitizing resin (gumline/root), per tooth: It bonds a desensitising resin onto an exposed root surface, tooth by tooth, which lasts longer than a medicament.
D9930 — Treatment of post-surgical complications: It is the appointment that deals with a complication after surgery: a dry socket, bleeding, or unusual swelling.
D9110 sits in a group of six 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 D9110 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.
| Code | Procedure |
|---|---|
| D9110 | Palliative treatment for dental pain — this page |
| D9120 | Fixed bridge sectioning |
| D9910 | Desensitizing medicament application |
| D9911 | Desensitizing resin (gumline/root), per tooth |
| D9930 | Treatment of post-surgical complications |
| D9951 | Occlusal adjustment, limited (bite adjustment) |
Questions about D9110
What procedure is D9110?
D9110 records palliative treatment for dental pain — one of the adjunctive general services codes.
How much does D9110 cost?
$90–$280 covers most of the country. Specialist practices and big-city addresses tend to sit in the upper half.
Is D9110 a covered benefit?
Yes on most policies, treated as basic / adjunctive work at typically 50–80%. A waiting period on a new policy is the commonest reason it is not.
What is the difference between D9110 and D9120?
D9120 is fixed bridge sectioning: it cuts a bridge in two, usually to save the sound part when one supporting tooth has failed. 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: emergency dental pain, palliative treatment, sensitive teeth, high filling, bite adjustment.