CDT D2160: Amalgam Three-Surface Restoration

Headline: CDT code D2160 denotes a three-surface amalgam restoration commonly used in restorative dentistry

Lead: CDT code D2160 represents an amalgam restoration covering three surfaces on a primary or permanent tooth, a routine restorative procedure in dental practices nationwide. Its clear definition supports consistent billing and clinical documentation for restorative services.

What the code represents and why it matters: The code captures placement or replacement of a three-surface amalgam filling, an essential restorative option for posterior teeth with moderate-to-large carious lesions or structural damage. Nationally, standardized use of CDT code D2160 helps align clinical records, payer adjudication, and utilization tracking for restorative dental care.

Key payers covered: Major commercial payers evaluated in this publication include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, and UnitedHealthcare.

What readers will learn: The publication provides benchmarks and clinical context for CDT code D2160, compares it to adjacent restoration codes, and outlines typical sites of service and common documentation considerations. It highlights coding scope, clinical scenarios where a three-surface amalgam is applicable, and connections to related restorative codes to aid in correct code selection. If certain administrative or payer-specific data are not present, the report notes "Data not available in the input."

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Billing Code Overview

CDT code D2160 describes an amalgam restoration involving three surfaces for either primary or permanent teeth. This procedure falls under dentistry services and typically occurs in a dental office (POS 11). The code identifies placement or replacement of an amalgam filling that restores the anatomy of a tooth spanning three surfaces.

National Reimbursement Benchmarks

Across national payers, BUCA (average commercial) mean rates at $89.72 sit above Aetna ($63.18) and Cigna Health ($65.96) but below Blue Cross Blue Shield ($122.73) and UnitedHealthcare ($135.36). Medicare values are not provided in the input, so direct numeric comparison with Medicare is not available.

Rate dispersion (P75 minus P25) varies by payer: UnitedHealthcare shows the widest spread (152.00 - 119.67 = 32.33), followed by Blue Cross Blue Shield (144.00 - 87.00 = 57.00) and BUCA (108.00 - 59.00 = 49.00). Aetna (68.00 - 54.00 = 14.00) and Cigna Health (77.00 - 57.00 = 20.00) are tighter. The table and chart below present the full breakdown.

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CDT D2160: Amalgam Three-Surface Restoration

Headline: CDT code D2160 denotes a three-surface amalgam restoration commonly used in restorative dentistry

Key payers covered: Major commercial payers evaluated in this publication include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, and UnitedHealthcare.

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Get alerted when payer policies referencing D2160 are released or updated.

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Billing Code Overview

National Reimbursement Benchmarks

National Mean Rates for CDT code D2160 by Payer

Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

A pediatric or adult patient presents to a dental office with symptomatic or asymptomatic carious lesions on a posterior tooth requiring restoration. After clinical examination and radiographic assessment confirm decay involving three surfaces of a primary or permanent posterior tooth, the dentist administers local anesthesia as needed, removes carious tooth structure, prepares the cavity, and places an amalgam restoration spanning three surfaces. The visit typically occurs in a single dental office appointment (POS 11). Documentation includes tooth number, surfaces restored, anesthesia, materials used (amalgam), treatment time, and any intraoperative findings or complications.

Related Codes

D2140 — Amalgam - one surface, primary or permanent
Relation: Represents a smaller restoration scope; used when only a single surface is restored instead of three. It is an alternative code when the clinical procedure involves fewer surfaces.
D2150 — Amalgam - two surfaces, primary or permanent
Relation: Represents an intermediate restoration scope between D2140 and D2160; used when two surfaces are involved instead of three.
D2330 — Resin-based composite - one surface, anterior
Relation: Different restorative material and tooth location (anterior); not a direct alternative for three-surface posterior amalgam but may be selected when material choice or tooth type differs.
D2391 — Resin-based composite - one surface, posterior
Relation: Composite material for posterior teeth for a one-surface restoration; may be used as an alternative restorative material selection for posterior teeth when clinical indications favor resin rather than amalgam.
Common usage: D2140, D2150, and D2160 are selected based on number of surfaces restored and are mutually exclusive for the same tooth and encounter. Composite codes (D2330, D2391) are alternatives when a resin-based restoration is performed instead of amalgam.

CPT D2393: Resin-Based Composite Restoration, Three Surfaces, Posterior

D4910-PERIODONTAL-MAINTENANCE

CPT D4910: Periodontal Maintenance Procedures

D1206-TOPICAL-FLUORIDE-TREATMENT-EXCEPT-VARNISH-THERAPEUTIC

CPT D1206: Topical Fluoride Treatment for Moderate to High Caries Risk Patients

D1110-PROPHYLAXIS-ADULT-CLEANING-AND-POLISHING-OF-THE

CPT D1110: Adult Dental Cleaning and Polishing

D2140-AMALGAM-ONE-SURFACE-PRIMARY-OR

CPT D2140: Amalgam Restoration, One Surface, Primary or Permanent Tooth

D2391-RESINBASED-COMPOSITE-ONE-SURFACE

CPT D2391: Resin-Based Composite Restoration, One Surface, Posterior Tooth

D1351-SEALANT-PER

CPT D1351: Dental Sealant Application, Per Tooth

D4341-PERIODONTAL-SCALING-AND-ROOT-PLANING-FOUR-OR-MORE-TEETH-PER

CPT D4341: Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing, Four or More Teeth per Quadrant

D2790-CROWN-FULL-CAST-HIGH-NOBLE

CPT D2790: Full Cast High Noble Metal Crown Placement

D2330-RESINBASED-COMPOSITE-ONE-SURFACE

CPT D2330: Resin-Based Composite Restoration, One Surface, Anterior

Showing 1–10 of 24

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

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Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.

Trek Health ingests and normalizes Transparency in Coverage data and payer policy updates to give provider organizations a clear view of how commercial reimbursement behaves across markets, payers, and services. Our platform transforms raw payer disclosures into structured intelligence that supports contract evaluation, payer negotiations, and service line strategy. By combining market benchmarks with ongoing policy visibility, Trek helps teams identify variability, risk, and opportunity in commercial reimbursement. The result is faster insight, stronger negotiating positions, and more informed financial decisions.

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Clinical & Coding Specifications

Clinical Context

Related Codes

D2140 — Amalgam - one surface, primary or permanent
Relation: Represents a smaller restoration scope; used when only a single surface is restored instead of three. It is an alternative code when the clinical procedure involves fewer surfaces.
D2150 — Amalgam - two surfaces, primary or permanent
Relation: Represents an intermediate restoration scope between D2140 and D2160; used when two surfaces are involved instead of three.
D2330 — Resin-based composite - one surface, anterior
Relation: Different restorative material and tooth location (anterior); not a direct alternative for three-surface posterior amalgam but may be selected when material choice or tooth type differs.
D2391 — Resin-based composite - one surface, posterior
Relation: Composite material for posterior teeth for a one-surface restoration; may be used as an alternative restorative material selection for posterior teeth when clinical indications favor resin rather than amalgam.
Common usage: D2140, D2150, and D2160 are selected based on number of surfaces restored and are mutually exclusive for the same tooth and encounter. Composite codes (D2330, D2391) are alternatives when a resin-based restoration is performed instead of amalgam.

CPT D2393: Resin-Based Composite Restoration, Three Surfaces, Posterior

D4910-PERIODONTAL-MAINTENANCE

CPT D4910: Periodontal Maintenance Procedures

D1206-TOPICAL-FLUORIDE-TREATMENT-EXCEPT-VARNISH-THERAPEUTIC

CPT D1206: Topical Fluoride Treatment for Moderate to High Caries Risk Patients

D1110-PROPHYLAXIS-ADULT-CLEANING-AND-POLISHING-OF-THE

CPT D1110: Adult Dental Cleaning and Polishing

D2140-AMALGAM-ONE-SURFACE-PRIMARY-OR

CPT D2140: Amalgam Restoration, One Surface, Primary or Permanent Tooth

D2391-RESINBASED-COMPOSITE-ONE-SURFACE

CPT D2391: Resin-Based Composite Restoration, One Surface, Posterior Tooth

D1351-SEALANT-PER

CPT D1351: Dental Sealant Application, Per Tooth

D4341-PERIODONTAL-SCALING-AND-ROOT-PLANING-FOUR-OR-MORE-TEETH-PER

CPT D4341: Periodontal Scaling and Root Planing, Four or More Teeth per Quadrant

D2790-CROWN-FULL-CAST-HIGH-NOBLE

CPT D2790: Full Cast High Noble Metal Crown Placement

D2330-RESINBASED-COMPOSITE-ONE-SURFACE

CPT D2330: Resin-Based Composite Restoration, One Surface, Anterior

Showing 1–10 of 24

References

1.CPT® Codes and Descriptions. AAPC. Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.Maintains the CPT code set's official descriptions and guidelines, licensed from the American Medical Association, used as the definitional source for CPT codes on this page.
2.HCPCS Quarterly Update. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's quarterly release of HCPCS Level II codes and short/long descriptors, the source for HCPCS code definitions and update history.
3.ICD-10-CM Full Code List. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Retrieved Aug 11, 2026.CMS's complete ICD-10-CM diagnosis code list, used to cross-reference diagnosis codes associated with this procedure or service.

Published by

Trek Health powers OpenPayer with a leading commercial payer intelligence platform, seamlessly converting fragmented payer data into actionable insights for provider organizations.