D6098 — Implant-supported retainer crown, PFM (predominantly base alloys)
One of the codes covering the retainer units of a bridge supported by implants rather than natural teeth. D6098 is the version in porcelain fired over a metal core.
This code belongs to a set of 16 covering implant-supported bridge retainer. The clinical detail lives in the implant-supported bridge retainer guide; the code-level detail is here.
Everything below is specific to this code: what it pins down, what it is worth, how a payer handles it, and which codes it is not.
D6098 in detail
Material — porcelain fired over a metal core. A porcelain-fused-to-metal restoration is built in two layers: a thin metal shell for strength, with porcelain fired over it for appearance. It was the default crown for forty years because it fails gracefully — the metal keeps the tooth covered even if the porcelain chips — and because it fits precisely. Its weakness is optical: the opaque metal has to be masked, so it never has the depth of all-ceramic, and a grey margin can show at the gum line as the gum recedes. The material is part of the code rather than a choice made afterwards, so D6098 is only the right code if that is what was actually used.
The nearby codes and how they differ
D6099 — Implant-supported retainer crown, PFM (noble alloys): It specifies porcelain fired over a noble-alloy core rather than porcelain fired over a metal core.
D6077 — Implant-supported retainer, cast metal FPD (high noble alloys): It specifies cast high noble alloy, with no porcelain over it rather than porcelain fired over a metal core.
D6076 — Implant-supported retainer, PFM FPD (high noble alloys): It specifies porcelain fired over a high noble, gold-rich core rather than porcelain fired over a metal core.
D6120 — Implant-supported retainer crown, PFM (titanium and titanium alloys): It specifies porcelain fired over a titanium core rather than porcelain fired over a metal core.
D6098 sits in a group of 16 codes in total; the remainder are linked at the foot of this page. The descriptions differ by a few words and the fees differ by a great deal, which is why mixing them up is one of the commonest billing errors in dentistry. Ask which of these codes is being submitted and why.
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 D6098
D6098 — what is it?
The procedure behind the number is implant-supported retainer crown, PFM, predominantly base alloys, filed under implant services.
What is the typical fee for D6098?
Usually somewhere in $1,200–$2,800 as a gross fee. The code fixes what was done, not what it costs, so ask for the practice's own figure in writing.
Does dental insurance cover D6098?
Usually yes, as major treatment at 0–50% — but coverage turns on your own policy, its annual maximum and any waiting period.
What is the difference between D6098 and D6099?
D6099 is implant-supported retainer crown, PFM, noble alloys: it specifies porcelain fired over a noble-alloy core rather than porcelain fired over a metal core. Everything else about the appointment is identical, so the record has to show that one detail for D6098 to be the defensible code.
Also known as: implant bridge, implant retainer, implant supported FPD, multiple missing teeth.