The short version
# D2750 Dental Code: Porcelain Fused to High-Noble Metal Crown
D2750 reports a crown on a natural tooth with porcelain fused to a high-noble metal substructure. The lab alloy, not the surface color, separates it from other crown codes. Payment can still be based on a lower-cost material under an alternate-benefit clause.
- Bill D2750 when the final single-tooth crown has porcelain fused to a high-noble metal coping.
- Use D2740 for a porcelain or ceramic crown without a metal substructure. Use D2751 when the fused-to-metal crown uses a predominantly base-metal alloy.
- Keep the lab ticket. It's the direct record of the alloy family used in the restoration.
- A plan may calculate payment from a lower-cost crown even though the office correctly reports D2750.
- Crown replacement rules can use five years, seven years, or another interval. The actual plan controls.
- In a worked alternate-benefit claim, the office bills $1,600, the D2750 allowable is $1,200, the plan pays $450, the patient owes $750, and the office adjusts $400.
What is D2750?
D2750 is a full-coverage porcelain-fused-to-metal crown for one natural tooth. Its metal coping meets the high-noble alloy definition used by CDT. The ADA indirect-materials resource describes gold, platinum-group metals, and related alloy systems used under porcelain.
| Fact | D2750 |
|---|---|
| CDT category | Indirect restorative crown |
| Unit | One natural tooth |
| Veneering material | Porcelain |
| Substructure | High-noble metal alloy |
| Public fee references | DC Medicaid: $500; Washington Medicaid: $560.97 in 2025 |
When do you bill D2750?
Use D2750 when the final restoration and lab record confirm a high-noble PFM crown.
- Show why the tooth needs full coverage rather than a direct restoration.
- Record existing decay, fracture, restoration, or structural loss.
- Match the lab prescription and invoice to a high-noble alloy.
- Record preparation, provisional, and final delivery dates.
- Note cementation and occlusion.
D2750 vs D2740 and D2751
All three can produce a tooth-colored crown.
| D2740 | D2750 | D2751 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final construction | Porcelain or ceramic | Porcelain fused to high-noble metal | Porcelain fused to predominantly base metal |
| Metal coping | No | Yes | Yes |
| Deciding document | Lab material record | Lab alloy record | Lab alloy record |
| Common payment issue | Metal alternate benefit | Lower metal-tier alternate benefit | Often the base-metal comparison point |
What does insurance actually do with D2750?
Delta's published Texas plan explains that when a more expensive service is selected, the patient may owe the difference from the covered alternative. A 2026 Cigna Arizona plan shows the same mechanism for several crown materials and uses a 60-month replacement limit.
- Office fee: $1,600
- Contracted D2750 allowable: $1,200
- Contractual adjustment: $400
- Alternate base-metal allowable: $900
- Plan payment at 50% of $900: $450
- Patient share of alternate allowable: $450
- Material difference: $1,200 minus $900, or $300
- Final patient balance: $450 plus $300, or $750
Why does D2750 get denied?
- The lab ticket doesn't identify a high-noble alloy.
- The crown history doesn't clear the replacement period.
- The image and note don't show why full coverage is needed.
- The payer's full-coverage criteria aren't supported.
What documentation gets D2750 paid?
- Record the tooth, diagnosis, existing condition, and reason a filling won't restore it.
- Keep the lab slip that names the high-noble alloy and porcelain-fused construction.
- Record prior crown details and why replacement is necessary.
- Save the preparation and seat dates plus the plan's service-date instruction.
- Document a separate D2950 buildup only when missing structure had to be replaced for crown retention.
Common questions about D2750
Is D2750 the same as any PFM crown?
No, it doesn't. D2750 is the high-noble PFM code. PFM identifies a crown family, but the metal classification selects the specific line. Confirm the lab record identifies high-noble content and that the chart, claim, and seated restoration agree. Don't infer alloy class from appearance or the EOB.
What separates D2750 from D2740?
D2750 has a high-noble metal coping under porcelain. D2740 has a porcelain or ceramic construction without that metal substructure. Review the lab prescription and alloy documentation instead of choosing from appearance alone. The restoration's material, not the payer's alternate benefit, determines the submitted code.
Can insurance pay D2750 as D2751?
A plan can calculate an alternate benefit from a lower-cost material when its contract permits it. Keep D2750 on the claim if high-noble PFM is what the dentist delivered. That payment calculation doesn't change the service. Post the adjustment only after checking the contract, patient estimate, and exact EOB language.
Which date goes on a D2750 claim?
Use the date required by the plan. Some plans use the final seat or cementation date, while others publish a different completion rule. Save both preparation and delivery dates, verify the contract before filing, and don't substitute a date only to fit a replacement-frequency window.
Check the alloy before submission
Don't file until the crown, alloy record, delivery date, and prior history match.
Sources
- ADA, materials for indirect restorations
- ADA, CDT to ICD diagnosis code crosswalk
- Delta Dental, clinical criteria for crowns
- Delta Dental, Texas alternate-benefit terms
- Cigna, 2026 Arizona crown limitations
- ADA, prosthodontic payment-date policy
- Delta Dental of Arizona, transition-of-care service dates
- Washington, DC Medicaid fee schedule, May 17, 2025
- Washington Medicaid, July 2025 dental fee schedule
CDT codes and nomenclature are copyright © American Dental Association. This guide explains the code in plain language; the current CDT manual is the authoritative source.
