D3230 is the CDT code for pulpal therapy with a resorbable filling on an anterior primary tooth, excluding the final restoration. It describes removing the pulp and filling the canal of a baby front tooth with a resorbable material. It differs from D3240, which is the same procedure on a posterior primary tooth, and from D3220, which is a therapeutic pulpotomy.
Last updated June 2026 · Reviewed by the PracticeAlpha billing team
Get help with D3230 claims →Use D3230 when performing pulpal therapy with a resorbable filling on an anterior primary tooth. The pulp is removed and the canal is filled with a resorbable material that breaks down as the primary tooth root resorbs naturally. The code covers the pulpal therapy only and excludes the final restoration placed afterward.
Common clinical scenarios: A baby front tooth with irreversible pulpitis or pulp necrosis where the tooth is being maintained until natural exfoliation. Deep decay in a primary incisor or canine that has reached the pulp. Trauma to a primary anterior tooth requiring canal treatment to preserve the tooth.
Do NOT use D3230 for: A posterior primary tooth (use D3240). A therapeutic pulpotomy that treats only the coronal pulp (use D3220). Any permanent tooth, which would be reported with root canal therapy codes. The final crown or filling, which is reported separately.
Click any code to see the difference.
Pulpal therapy with a resorbable filling on a front baby tooth, an incisor or canine. The canal is filled with resorbable material. The final restoration is reported separately.
The same pulpal therapy with a resorbable filling, but on a posterior baby tooth, a primary molar. Same procedure, different tooth position.
Billing tip: The only difference is anterior versus posterior. A primary incisor or canine is D3230. A primary molar is D3240. Make sure the tooth number on the claim matches the code so the position is consistent.
D3230 is only for primary teeth. If the tooth number indicates a permanent tooth, the resorbable filling code does not apply and the claim gets denied. A permanent tooth needing canal treatment is reported with root canal therapy codes. Confirm the tooth is primary before reporting D3230.
Using D3230 for a posterior primary tooth is a position mismatch. D3230 is anterior only. A primary molar should be reported with D3240. When the tooth number is a molar but the code is the anterior one, the payer flags the inconsistency.
Billing D3230 when only a pulpotomy was performed is a coding error. A therapeutic pulpotomy removes the coronal pulp and is reported with D3220. If the canal was not filled with resorbable material, D3230 does not apply. The documentation must match the procedure actually done.
A claim without a tooth number, or without notes supporting pulpal therapy, gets denied. The record should identify the primary tooth, the pulpal diagnosis, and the resorbable filling placed. Vague notes do not support the procedure.
Record the specific primary incisor or canine treated. The tooth number must match an anterior primary tooth for D3230 to apply.
Document the pulpal condition that justified the therapy, such as irreversible pulpitis or necrosis from deep decay or trauma.
Note that the canal was filled with a resorbable material. This is what defines pulpal therapy and separates it from a pulpotomy.
D3230 excludes the final restoration. Report and document the crown or filling placed on the tooth under its own restorative code.
A preoperative radiograph supports the diagnosis and confirms the tooth is a primary tooth being maintained until exfoliation.
Pediatric endo claims getting denied? We fix the coding, documentation, and follow-up patterns that cause it.
Learn about our billing servicesD3230 is the CDT code for pulpal therapy with a resorbable filling on an anterior primary tooth. It describes removing the pulp and filling the canal of a baby front tooth with a resorbable material. It excludes the final restoration, which is reported separately.
Both are pulpal therapy with a resorbable filling on a primary tooth. D3230 is for an anterior primary tooth and D3240 is for a posterior primary tooth. The difference is the tooth position, anterior versus posterior, not the procedure itself.
D3220 is a therapeutic pulpotomy, which removes only the coronal pulp and is not the final restoration. D3230 is pulpal therapy with a resorbable filling of the canal on an anterior primary tooth. A pulpotomy treats the coronal pulp, while D3230 fills the canal.
No. D3230 specifically excludes the final restoration. The crown or filling placed on the primary tooth after the pulpal therapy is reported with its own restorative code in addition to D3230.
No. D3230 is for primary teeth. The resorbable filling is appropriate because a primary tooth root resorbs naturally before exfoliation. Permanent teeth that need canal treatment are reported with root canal therapy codes instead.
Common reasons include reporting it on a permanent tooth, using the anterior code for a posterior primary tooth, confusing it with a pulpotomy, missing tooth number, and documentation that does not support pulpal therapy on a primary tooth.
Search all 206 CDT codes in our dental coding guide.