D6077 — Implant-supported retainer, cast metal FPD (high noble alloys)
One of the codes covering the retainer units of a bridge supported by implants rather than natural teeth. D6077 is the version in cast high noble alloy, with no porcelain over it.
This is one of 16 closely related implant-supported bridge retainer codes. The treatment is explained in full in the implant-supported bridge retainer guide — this page is about what makes this particular code different.
Everything on this page is about the code itself — its conditions, its fee, its benefit handling, and the precise point at which it stops applying and a neighbouring code starts.
What D6077 specifies
Material — cast high noble alloy, with no porcelain over it. This is a restoration cast in one piece from a gold-rich alloy, with nothing fired over it. Full-gold restorations remain, by a clear margin, the longest-lasting option in dentistry: the alloy wears at close to the rate of enamel, so it neither grinds down the opposing tooth nor dents, it is gentle at the margins, and it can be made in very thin section — meaning less tooth has to be removed than for any other crown. The only real objection to it is that it is gold-coloured. The material is part of the code rather than a choice made afterwards, so D6077 is only the right code if that is what was actually used.
Where the line falls between D6077 and the rest
D6076 — Implant-supported retainer, PFM FPD (high noble alloys): It specifies porcelain fired over a high noble, gold-rich core rather than cast high noble alloy, with no porcelain over it.
D6075 — Implant-supported retainer, ceramic FPD: It specifies all-ceramic, with no metal underneath rather than cast high noble alloy, with no porcelain over it.
D6074 — Abutment-supported retainer, cast metal FPD (noble metal): It specifies cast noble alloy, with no porcelain over it rather than cast high noble alloy, with no porcelain over it.
D6073 — Abutment-supported retainer, cast metal FPD (base metal): It specifies cast predominantly base-metal alloy rather than cast high noble alloy, with no porcelain over it.
D6077 sits in a group of 16 codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. Reviewers compare the narrative against the code rather than the other way round, so the question worth asking is what the notes will say.
Every code in this group
These codes describe the same broad procedure and differ in one respect each. Each has its own page with its own fee range and coverage notes.
Questions about D6077
What procedure is D6077?
Read literally, D6077 means implant-supported retainer, cast metal FPD, high noble alloys — and payers do read it literally.
What should I expect to pay for D6077?
Plan for $1,610–$3,750 as the full fee. Two practices a few miles apart can sit at opposite ends of that range for the same work.
How do dental plans handle D6077?
Yes on most policies, treated as major work at 0–50%. A waiting period on a new policy is the commonest reason it is not.
What is the difference between D6077 and D6076?
D6076 is implant-supported retainer, PFM FPD, high noble alloys: it specifies porcelain fired over a high noble, gold-rich core rather than cast high noble alloy, with no porcelain over it. The rest of the procedure is the same, which is why the two get substituted for one another on estimates.
Also known as: implant bridge, implant retainer, implant supported FPD, multiple missing teeth.