New American Dental Association Code Includes Scanning Procedure for The Canary System

Posted: April 18, 2016
Edited by Dentaltown staff
 
TORONTO—The American Dental Association (ADA) has approved the addition of a procedure/billing code for caries detection with the following nomenclature: “Non-ionizing diagnostic procedure capable of quantifying, monitoring, and recording changes in structure of enamel, dentin and cementum” for the 2017 ADA Fee Guide.

The new code was unanimously approved by the ADA Code Maintenance Committee Meeting in March which recognizes the advances made in caries detection and provides dentists with the ability to bill using this procedure.  
 
Examination with The Canary System, involving quantifying, monitoring and recording changes in the structure of enamel, dentin and cementum, will be covered under this procedure code. Detection methods using visual examination, explorers and other tactile probes, fluorescence or transillumination with visible light (not near-infrared light) may not fall under the code’s definition because of their inability to detect changes in all the tissues or to record and quantify changes in these tissues.  
 
“This new procedure code moves caries detection into the 21st century”, said Dr. Stephen Abrams, president of Quantum Dental Technologies. “Recognizing the value of technologies that can monitor, measure and quantify changes in tooth structure now provides patients access to improved methods for treating caries. This billing code establishes the importance of ongoing examination of caries with appropriate modalities so that dentists can provide a wide range of treatment options and monitor outcomes.  It offers patients and dentists another option that does not involve ionizing radiation to detect caries.” 
 
Obtaining a published ADA code provides a U.S. dentist with the ability to bill patients directly and bill third-party carriers and insurers using a specific code for this service. The code will be published in the ADA Dental Procedure Code Book and takes effect January 1, 2017.
 
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