Published September 2026

1 of 5Decay has gone through the enamel into the softer dentin
  1. Decay has gone through the enamel into the softer dentin
  2. Numbed. A high-speed drill removes every bit of decay
  3. The hole is etched and bonded so the filling sticks
  4. Tooth-colored composite goes in layers, each hardened with a blue light
  5. Shaped to your bite and polished

Who usually does it

general dentist. Done in every general office. Many plans pay the silver filling rate on back teeth.

One question worth asking

Would my plan treat this as an upgrade on a back tooth?

White filling, back tooth, four or more surfaces

FillingsUpgradeD2394

D2394. Covers most of a back tooth; plans often pay only the silver filling rate. Some plans call this an optional service or an alternate benefit. The plan pays what the standard version costs. You pay the difference.

A tooth-colored filling is a resin bonded into a cleaned-out cavity and shaped to match the tooth. Codes differ by whether the tooth is a front or back tooth and by how many surfaces the filling covers. The same group covers bonding a chipped-off piece of tooth back on.

The decay is cleaned out, the tooth is bonded, and the resin goes in as thin layers each hardened with a blue light, then it is shaped to the bite and polished. Front and back teeth have their own codes, and the number of surfaces changes the line again. Some plans treat a tooth-colored filling on a back tooth as an upgrade over the silver version and leave the difference to the patient. Most plans file this as Basic. What they actually pay varies by plan.

Codes for this

Related

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White filling, back tooth, four or more surfaces (D2394): what happens, step by step | TruthMolar