For over a decade now, teledentistry has become a norm worldwide. It has eased dental treatments and allowed dentists to spread out the accessibility of their dental clinics. It’s a combo of telecommunications and dentistry promising better oral health by simplifying the exchange of clinical information, images/mouth X-rays over remote distances for reliable consultation and planning.
Impact of COVID-19 on Teledentistry
We saw a massive boom in teledentistry after the COVID-19 pandemic. The volume of virtual dental appointments and consultations increased manifold during and after this deadly disease wrapped its wings around the globe. Dental clinics started focusing on telecommunications as a tool to relieve patients from the hectic travel to the clinics, saving them time, effort, and money.
Dental specialists and their in-house staff introduced consultations via video calls and sharing of information like prescriptions and treatment details making dentistry more flexible and convenient. Fast forward to 2025, teledentistry has become a mandatory thing. It has gained patient trust by being safe, effective, and easily accessible to everyone.
What is Teledentistry?
Also referred to as virtual dentistry or virtual dental care, teledentistry leverages the power of telecommunications to provide remote dental care, consultation, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The introduction of this modus operandi has eased the way dentists used to operate and abnegates the need to visit the dental clinic physically.
Patients now have easy access to quality oral care from the comfort of their homes or offices. They can connect, share, and talk to their dental specialists regarding dental issues bothering them via online video conferencing software, secure messaging, and image-sharing apps.
Benefits of Teledentistry
Just like any other field, the induction of technology in dentistry has uplifted the performance of all stakeholders. The efficiency of diagnosis and treatment has immensely improved the patient experience and also given the freedom to dental specialists to perform at their best. Here are some points that emphasize the importance of teledentistry and that it is the future.
1. No More Waiting Time
With virtual consultations, patients and dentists don’t have to sit long hours waiting for their turn or examining patients, respectively. Dentists can treat more patients in a day. Likewise, patients don’t have to travel to the clinic and save themselves from the hassles of hectic traveling.
2. Treating Patients from Remote Locations
Teledentistry has reduced the oral health disparities between urban and rural communities. It allows dental specialists to provide quality care to people in far-off areas who cannot afford to visit a dental clinic or are unable to access in-person appointments.
3. Monitoring and Management
Teledentistry allows dentists to monitor patients’ progress remotely and whether they are complying with the treatment or not. It is a vital aspect of virtual dental care and allows for easy monitoring, which ensures constant care and that too without them visiting the facility.
4. Enhanced Collaboration
Dental healthcare providers can easily access related patient touchpoints like pediatricians, physicians, and skilled nursing facilities. It allows them to be aware of other perspectives and enables them to diagnose and treat their patients better.
5. Secure Documentation and Imaging
They can use secure messaging software to share patient documents and imaging, which simplifies the coordination between dental specialists and patients. Patients don’t have to visit the dentist repeatedly after going through tests or X-rays conducted in the prescription.
6. Optimized Productivity and Quality Control
Dental support organizations can now broaden their reach and expand offerings like remote mentorship and sessions via virtual site visits. It gives practice managers and dentists the knowledge of what other practices are upto in their work and how they’re optimizing their productivity.
Coding for Teledentistry
You know that during and after COVID-19, the landscape of the healthcare industry has changed tremendously. Dentistry isn’t behind. The development in dentistry has allowed patients to receive quality healthcare information without leaving their comfort zones.
Dental evaluations and diagnosis through teledentistry have bridged the gap between providers and patients. Patients can now get convenient dental care while doctors can evaluate and see more patients than before.
In this section, we will discuss two of the most important CDT codes for teledentistry.
CDT Codes for Teledentistry
D9995 teledentistry: synchronous; real-time encounter
D9996 teledentistry: asynchronous; information stored and forwarded to dentist for subsequent review.
D9995 is used in conjunction with another code that stands for other procedures, e.g., the diagnosis code mentioned on the service date.
D9996 is used in conjunction with other procedures, e.g., the diagnostic code of the treatment provided to the patient on the service date.
It is important to note that teledentistry is not a specific service but a mode of delivering care. So, when these codes are used to refer to teledentistry, they are used in combination with other codes, mostly examination codes.
Who Should Use This Code?
In teledentistry, most of the time, there are multiple care providers. So, it is essential to know who will submit the code. The healthcare provider who does the oral evaluation is the one to make a diagnosis and create a treatment plan for the patient. They will be responsible for reporting the teledentistry CDT code.
However, there are occasions that require submitting more than one claim. Such a situation arises when a state practice act allows multiple dentists to submit insurance claims for some services delivered during teledentistry.
Here, the dental practitioner who oversees the teledentistry session is considered the right person to submit the CDT codes related to teledentistry. In case of any confusion or ambiguity, it is better to consult with the dental board on specific state requirements.
Documentation Required
If a patient prefers teledentistry and completes a treatment, their record must include when the teledentistry session was conducted and which of the two above-mentioned methodologies was used. The best practice when submitting a claim to a payor is to list the teledentistry code under the record of ‘Services Provided.’ It must also include all other services provided on the same date.
Apart from the appropriate CDT code, the dental practitioner must also add ‘Place of Service,’ i.e., 02 refers to telehealth place of service. It stands for health services provided via teledentistry.
Appropriate Codes to Use for Teledentistry
Whenever a dentist does a dental evaluation, delivers oral health education, or examines a patient using telecommunication technology, they must mention one of the teledentistry codes. D9995 must be used in case of a live interaction – when the dentist and patient communicate in real-time. D9996 is the correct code to include in the patient record after a dentist performs a dental evaluation, and data is shared using a store-and-forward approach.
Related Teledental Visit Codes
Now that you know a lot about teledentistry, its benefits, two of the most common modalities, appropriate CDT codes for teledentistry, and who should code, lets now move on to related and most frequently used dental evaluation codes that serve providers in billing, record keeping etc.
D0140
In healthcare coding language, the dental practitioner or their team will use D0140 in a claim as it stands for a specific oral health condition and evaluation. People responsible for documentation and billing must include related diagnostic information as it helps to understand the need for specific diagnosis and treatment.
D0170
Dentists or their staff mention this code for oral treatments that involve checking pre-existing conditions to evaluate it present status. This code is normally used, if a person visits for a follow-up as part of their ongoing dental treatment.
D0171
The inclusion of D0171 in the documentation refers to a procedure delivered in the post-operative care and follow-up evaluations phase toward the patient’s recovery. This code signifies whether further treatments are required or if the healing process is as planned.
Case Management Coding
D9991
As a dental specialist, you may come across many patients who’re unable to receive satisfactory care due to travel constraints. This code is used to show when your dental facility arranges or aids such a patient to reach and leave the facility on appointments.
D9992
There are occasions when patients need help in coordinating their oral healthcare requirements with their dental care provider. The usage of D9992 stands for the effort, time, and resources you or your staff spent in assisting the patients. For instance, you have a young patient who needs corrective palate surgery from a maxillofacial surgeon. Your team will assist them in coordinating this care with your office.
D9993
Although this code isn’t related to any dental evaluation or treatment, it is still considered necessary in the dental world. D9993 stands for Motivational Interviewing (MI) from your office to the patient. It entails personalized counseling to assist them in changing harmful habits and lifestyle choices affecting their oral health.
D9994
There are times when the dentist or their team has to motivate a patient to improve their habits to enhance their oral health. These motivation sessions are all about informing the patients about the significance of oral hygiene.
This code indicates that the dentist has held sessions and spent enough time to educate the patient regarding the significance of oral health. Simply put, the goal is to inform the patient about healthy habits and how to maintain good oral health.
Let’s Simplify Teledentistry Billing for Your Practice
We cannot deny the significance and impact of telemedicine and teledentistry in the current times. It not only helps the dental practitioners but is nothing short of a blessing for patients from remote areas or who don’t want to travel to the dental clinic for a face-to-face consultation.
However, the industry flourishing at a rapid pace, has made billing complex and put more pressure on those responsible for providing care and documenting the processes. The technicalities involved and the introduction of new codes mean more risk of errors, ultimately leading to claim denials and revenue loss for dentists.
If you are tired of the overwhelming teledentistry coding or your in-house staff is unable to take up the challenge, hand over your worries to Dental Revenue Group. We have an expert team of dental virtual assistants and teledentistry coding gurus who’ll ensure all your operations are streamlined and no bill gets denied due to a coding or documentation error.
