Summary & Overview
CDT D2790: Crown – Full Cast High Noble Metal
Headline: CDT code D2790: Full Cast High Noble Metal Crown for Restorative Dental Care
Lead: CDT code D2790 designates a full cast crown made from high noble metal used to restore severely damaged or structurally compromised teeth. The code is widely used in restorative dentistry and factors into coverage determinations, clinical planning, and benefit management across major national payers.
What the code represents and why it matters: CDT code D2790 covers a definitive restorative crown procedure—a durable, full-coverage restoration fabricated from high noble metal. At a national level, this code matters because crowns are common restorative services with implications for dental benefit design, prior authorization practices, and allowed services under both commercial dental plans and integrated medical-dental programs.
Key payers covered: Analysis addresses major national payers including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, and UnitedHealthcare, which together represent dominant commercial dental and medical-dental plan administrators.
What readers will learn: The publication provides clinical context for when a high noble metal full-cast crown is indicated, alignment with related restorative procedures, and typical site-of-service considerations for dental offices. It summarizes common billing relationships to adjacent restorative codes and identifies data gaps where information was not provided. Benchmarks, reimbursement patterns, and payer policy nuances are summarized where available; when input data is absent, the report notes that specifics are not available.
Scope and limitations: Content is written for a national audience. Data not available in the input is explicitly noted where applicable.
Billing Code Overview
CDT code D2790 represents a full cast crown fabricated from high noble metal used in restorative dentistry to restore a damaged or decayed tooth. The service is classified as a restorative dental procedure performed to reestablish tooth form, function, and occlusal relationships when a full-coverage crown is indicated.
Typical site of service: Dental office (non‑facility).
Data not available in the input.
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A 56-year-old patient presents to a dental office with a fractured posterior tooth and extensive coronal destruction from chronic caries and previous restorations. Clinical assessment and radiographs reveal insufficient tooth structure to support a direct restoration and the need for full coverage. Treatment planning includes crown preparation, fabrication of a laboratory-fabricated full cast high noble metal crown, and cementation at a subsequent visit. Pulp status is evaluated; if endodontic therapy or post/core is required, those procedures are documented separately. Typical workflow: diagnosis and treatment planning visit with radiographs and bite records, tooth preparation appointment, impression and provisional crown fabrication, laboratory fabrication of the full cast high noble metal crown, and final cementation appointment in the dental office (non‑facility). Documentation includes informed consent, preoperative and postoperative photographs or radiographs, tooth-specific charting, materials used, and any adjunctive procedures such as core buildup or post placement when performed.
Coding Specifications
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CDT code
D2790— Crown – full cast high noble metal (restorative dental procedure). -
Common Modifiers
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22— Increased Procedural Services: Used when work required to perform the service is substantially greater than typically required. Documentation must describe the unusual circumstances and justify the additional work relative to a standardD2790case. -
52— Reduced Services: Used when the service performed is partially reduced or eliminated at the physician or dentist’s discretion. Documentation must indicate which portion of the procedure was reduced or omitted and why.