Fixed Prosthodontic Codes (D6200–D6999)

How a bridge is coded, unit by unit

Pontics (D6205–D6252). The replacement teeth. Coded by material — cast metal, porcelain fused to metal, all-ceramic, resin — exactly as crowns are. One code per missing tooth being replaced.

Retainer crowns (D6710–D6794). The full crowns on the abutment teeth either side. Again coded by material, and priced very similarly to a standalone crown because that is effectively what they are.

Resin-bonded retainers (D6545–D6549). The wings of a Maryland bridge, bonded to the back of the adjacent tooth instead of crowning it.

Other services (D6920–D6999). Connectors, recementation, repair, and the by-report code. So: a three-unit bridge replacing one tooth is $2,000–$5,500 in total. A five-unit bridge replacing two teeth is $3,500–$8,000. The price scales with units, not with the number of missing teeth.

What a bridge costs the neighbouring teeth

This is the honest case against a conventional bridge, and it is the reason implants have taken so much of this range's work. To carry a bridge, the teeth either side of the gap must be cut down for crowns. If those teeth already need crowns, nothing is lost — the bridge is arguably the better choice, because you get the crowns and the replacement tooth in one sequence. If they are healthy and unrestored, you are permanently removing sound enamel from two intact teeth to replace a third. There is a second cost. A bridge spans the gap but does nothing for the bone underneath it, which continues to resorb, so a visible dip develops under the pontic over the years. And if one abutment tooth later fails — decay under a crown margin, or a root canal problem — the whole bridge usually has to come off, turning a one-tooth problem into a three-unit one. None of that makes bridges wrong. It makes the comparison with an implant a genuine decision rather than an obvious one.

Bridge or implant: how to actually decide

A bridge is usually better when the adjacent teeth already need crowns or are heavily filled; when bone volume is inadequate for an implant and the patient does not want grafting; when the timeline matters, since a bridge takes two to three weeks against three to nine months; or when a medical condition makes surgery inadvisable.

An implant is usually better when the adjacent teeth are sound and unrestored; when the gap is a single tooth with good bone; when you want to preserve the ridge; and when you are young enough that a 10–15 year replacement cycle for a bridge means several remakes over a lifetime. Costs are closer than people expect: $2,000–$5,500 for a three-unit bridge against $3,500–$6,500 for an implant and crown. Over thirty years the implant is often the cheaper option, because bridges are replaced more often.

A Maryland bridge (resin-bonded, D6545) deserves a mention as the conservative middle ground for a missing front tooth: a false tooth with wings bonded to the back of the neighbouring teeth, requiring almost no preparation. It debonds more often than a conventional bridge holds, but debonding is recoverable and cutting down two front teeth is not.

Cleaning a bridge, which decides how long it lasts

A bridge cannot be flossed in the normal way, because the units are joined. The pontic sits on the gum with no gap to pass floss through from above. What works is a floss threader or superfloss, passed sideways under the pontic from the cheek side and drawn along it daily, or an interdental brush of the right size, or a water flosser. What does not work is assuming that brushing is enough. The reason this matters more than the material or the design: bridges fail at the margins of the retainer crowns, from decay that starts where cleaning did not reach. Ten to fifteen years is the usual quoted lifespan, and the gap between a bridge that reaches twenty and one that fails at seven is almost entirely about what happens under the pontic every night.

How plans treat bridgework

Major category, typically 50% after deductible, with a waiting period of six to twelve months on a new policy and a replacement limit of five to ten years. Two clauses do most of the damage. The missing-tooth clause excludes replacing teeth lost before the policy started, which rules out a great many bridges entirely. And the annual maximum — $1,000 to $2,500 — will not cover a $4,000 bridge, which is why treatment is sometimes split across two benefit years by design. Alternate benefit also appears: a plan may pay a partial denture allowance rather than a bridge allowance where both would restore the gap. Establish all three before starting; the difference is measured in thousands.