CDT D7140: Extraction of Erupted Tooth or Exposed Root
Headline: CDT code D7140: Simple Extraction of Erupted Tooth or Exposed Root
Lead: CDT code D7140 represents the common dental procedure for extraction of an erupted tooth or exposed root using elevation and/or forceps. It is a routine, non-surgical service integral to dental practice workflows and patient management across payers nationally.
What the code represents and why it matters: CDT code D7140 is used to bill for simple extractions where the tooth or root is erupted or otherwise accessible for forceps or elevator removal. This code matters because tooth extractions are frequent procedures with clear clinical indications ranging from decay and infection to trauma, and they influence practice coding, coverage determinations, and patient out-of-pocket costs.
Key payers covered: The analysis covers major national commercial payers including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, and UnitedHealthcare.
What readers will learn: The publication provides clinical context for when D7140 is applicable, comparisons to related extraction codes for different surgical complexity levels, typical site-of-service expectations, and common diagnosis linkages. It also outlines billing considerations commonly encountered with this code and notes where input data is missing for service line details. Data not available in the input for specific service line metadata is identified where relevant.
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Billing Code Overview
CDT code D7140 denotes Extraction of an erupted tooth or exposed root performed by elevation and/or forceps removal. This procedure is classified under Dentistry services and typically occurs in a dental office (POS 11). The code describes a non-surgical tooth extraction for erupted teeth or roots that are accessible without additional surgical intervention. If specific service line details are required, Data not available in the input.
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National mean rates for CDT code D7140 show a clear gap between Medicare and the average commercial benchmark (BUCA): Medicare mean is not available in the input while the BUCA commercial average mean is $79.99, reflecting higher commercial reimbursement compared with the missing Medicare value. UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield sit above the BUCA average with mean rates of $113.76 and $99.40 respectively, while Aetna and Cigna Health are below it at $66.54 and $57.48.
Rate dispersion (P75 minus P25) varies by payer: UnitedHealthcare has a wide spread (approximately $32.07), Blue Cross Blue Shield also shows substantial dispersion (~$35.80), BUCA has a moderate spread ($38.00), Aetna is tighter ($19.00), and Cigna Health is the tightest ($10.00). The table and chart below present the full numeric breakdown of mean rates and percentile values.