CDT codes and service schema.
CDT codes are the procedure taxonomy Google's Knowledge Graph reads through availableService.
Current Dental Terminology (CDT) is the ADA's own, copyrighted, annually-updated procedure-code system. CDT codes appear on every U.S. insurance claim, every superbill, every billing record. The code system is HIPAA-mandated under the transactions and code sets rule. For dental SEO, CDT codes are the standardized procedure taxonomy that availableService values map to, replacing invented marketing terminology. The work fits inside the broader dental schema markup engagement and feeds the full Dental SEO program.
<code>availableService</code> maps to CDT through <code>MedicalProcedure</code>.
Each procedure renders as a MedicalProcedure value inside the availableService array on the Dentist node. The code property carries the CDT code (D0150 periodic oral evaluation, D2750 crown porcelain fused to high noble metal, D9610 therapeutic parenteral drug, etc.). The name uses the CDT descriptor language rather than marketing rewrites. The medicalSpecialty on the parent Dentist ties the procedure to the ADA-recognized specialty where applicable.
Service vs MedicalProcedure: pick MedicalProcedure for dental.
Schema.org's Service is the generic type. MedicalProcedure is the dental-vertical subtype that carries the medical-vertical metadata (procedureType, preparation, followup, howPerformed). The MedicalProcedure subtype routes the entity into the medical-vertical understanding (YMYL classification, Reviews System medical-content framework, medical-specialty disambiguation) that flat Service values do not unlock. Dental practices ship MedicalProcedure, not Service.
ICD-10 and SNODENT cover diagnosis, not procedure.
CDT covers procedures (the work performed). ICD-10 covers diagnoses (the patient's condition). SNODENT (Systematized Nomenclature of Dentistry, ADA-owned) covers dental-specific diagnoses ICD-10 does not enumerate at clinical depth. The diagnosis surface is rarely customer-facing; the procedure surface (CDT) shapes the availableService enumeration. The diagnostic crosswalk matters for insurance claims and clinical documentation rather than for the SEO surface directly.
Insurance billing is the SEO ground truth.
The CDT codes the practice actually bills are the real scope of service. Mapping availableService against the billed CDT set aligns the schema layer with the real entity. Marketing-rewrite procedure names ("gentle dental cleaning experience" instead of D1110 adult prophylaxis) dilute the entity in Google's Knowledge Graph and read as non-specific compared to directory listings or competitor sites that surface the standardized code descriptor. The billing layer is ground truth; the schema layer surfaces it.
What practices ask about CDT codes and service schema.
What are CDT codes?
availableService values map to, replacing invented marketing terminology.How does <code>availableService</code> map to CDT codes?
MedicalProcedure value inside the availableService array on the Dentist node. The code property carries the CDT code (e.g. D0150 for periodic oral evaluation). The name uses the CDT descriptor language rather than marketing rewrites. The medicalSpecialty ties the procedure to the ADA-recognized specialty (where applicable). The schema layer signals real dental practice scope rather than a marketing page.How do ICD-10 and SNODENT relate to CDT?
availableService enumeration. The crosswalk matters for insurance claims and clinical documentation rather than for the SEO surface directly.Why does the insurance-billing layer matter for SEO?
availableService against the CDT codes the practice actually bills aligns the schema layer with the real entity. Marketing-rewrite procedure names dilute the entity in Google's Knowledge Graph and read as non-specific compared to a directory listing or competitor site that surfaces the standardized code descriptor. The billing layer is the ground truth; the schema layer surfaces it.Stop shipping availableService values that read as marketing terminology to Google's Knowledge Graph. Book a diagnostic.
We audit your current schema deployment, map your billed CDT set against your availableService values, identify the gaps, and ship the rebuild plan with the per-procedure MedicalProcedure markup and the medicalSpecialty alignment. The diagnostic comes back inside two weeks. The retainer rolls into dentist seo services.