D5511 is the CDT code for repairing a broken mandibular complete denture base. It covers fixing a fractured or cracked lower full-denture base and restoring the appliance to a usable condition without remaking it. The maxillary base repair code is D5512.
Last updated June 2026 · Reviewed by the PracticeAlpha billing team
Use D5511 when you repair a fractured or cracked base on a mandibular complete denture. The code covers the base repair itself, bonding the broken sections and restoring the lower full denture to a usable state. It applies to the mandibular arch only. The upper arch base repair is D5512.
Common clinical scenarios: A patient drops the lower denture and cracks the base. The denture base fractures along a stress line during normal use. A previous repair fails and the base separates again. The patient brings in a lower complete denture with a clean break in the acrylic base that can be repaired rather than remade.
Do NOT use D5511 for: Repairs to a maxillary complete denture base (use D5512). Repairs to a partial denture base (different repair codes apply). Replacing a broken denture tooth, which has its own code. Relining the denture, which is a separate procedure. A fracture so extensive that the denture is remade rather than repaired (report the new denture).
Some plans limit how many denture repairs they cover in a given period. If the same denture has been repaired recently, an additional D5511 claim can be denied even when the new fracture is unrelated. Check the repair history before billing and, if a repeat repair is needed, document why the denture is being repaired again rather than remade.
A repair on a recently delivered denture may be considered part of the original fee. If the denture was just delivered and is still within an included period, the payer can deny the repair as inclusive. Track the delivery date and note when the fracture occurred to show the repair is a separate, later event.
D5511 is the mandibular base repair. If the appliance was actually an upper denture and the claim shows D5511, that is a coding error. A maxillary complete denture base repair is D5512. The claim and the note have to agree on the arch.
The note has to show there was a base fracture and that you repaired it. "Repaired denture" is thin. Record where the base broke, how it happened if the patient knows, and what the repair involved. Without that, the payer cannot confirm a billable base repair versus a routine adjustment.
Confirm the appliance is a mandibular complete denture. D5511 is the lower arch base repair. An upper complete denture base repair is D5512, so the note and claim must agree on the arch.
Describe the break. Where the base cracked, whether it was a clean fracture or multiple pieces, and the extent of the damage. This shows a base repair was warranted rather than a simple adjustment.
Record how the denture broke if the patient can say. Dropped, fractured during use, or a prior repair that failed. The cause supports the necessity of the repair.
Document what the repair involved and that the base was restored to a usable condition. If you also replaced a tooth, note that it is reported separately, since D5511 covers the base repair only.
Note the denture's delivery date and any prior repairs. This confirms the repair falls outside any included post-delivery period and stays within the plan's repair frequency.
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Learn about our billing servicesD5511 is the CDT code for repairing a broken mandibular complete denture base. It covers fixing a fractured or cracked lower full-denture base, restoring the appliance to a usable condition without remaking it.
D5511 is the repair of a broken mandibular complete denture base. D5512 is the repair of a broken maxillary complete denture base. The arch determines the code. Use D5511 for the lower denture and D5512 for the upper.
No. D5511 covers repair of the denture base only. Replacing a broken or missing denture tooth is reported with a separate denture tooth replacement code. If you repair the base and replace a tooth, report each with its own code.
Common reasons: frequency limitations on denture repairs, the repair billed on a denture that was recently delivered and still under the included period, missing documentation of the fracture, and the wrong arch code being used.
No. D5511 is specific to a complete denture base in the mandibular arch. Repairs to a partial denture base use different codes. Confirm the appliance is a complete lower denture before reporting D5511.
Document that the appliance is a mandibular complete denture, the nature and location of the base fracture, how it happened if known, and the repair performed. A note describing the broken base and the completed repair supports the claim.
Search all 206 CDT codes in our dental coding guide.