Set up downgrades (alternate benefits)
Many plans pay a back-tooth white filling at the silver-filling rate. Tell Tabruns which cheaper code each service drops to.
Updated November 4, 2026
A downgrade means the plan pays a service at the rate of a simpler one. The most common is a white (composite) filling on a back tooth paid at the silver (amalgam) rate. The patient owes the difference.
- Make sure the cheaper service is on your price list, with its fees. For example, D2150.
- On the white filling's row, set Paid at the rate of to that cheaper code.
- Do the same for each size of filling, and for crowns if your plans downgrade those.
When the benefits page says white fillings are paid at the silver rate, the estimate applies it. If the page says back teeth only, a front-tooth filling is paid in full. A note under the estimate says when a downgrade applies.
Worked example: a $100 white filling paid at an $80 silver rate at 80% coverage. Insurance pays $64 and the patient pays $36. See how the estimate is worked out.
If a plan downgrades a service but its row has no Paid at the rate of code, a note under the estimate tells you, and the line is estimated at its full fee.
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