D6740 Dental Code: Porcelain or Ceramic Retainer Crown

The short version

# D6740 Dental Code: Porcelain or Ceramic Retainer Crown

D6740 reports a porcelain or ceramic retainer crown on an abutment tooth in a fixed partial denture. It may look like a D2740 single crown, but its job in the prosthesis is different: the D6740 unit helps hold the bridge. The missing-tooth replacement is a pontic with its own code.

• Bill D6740 for a porcelain or ceramic crown on a natural abutment tooth when it serves as a retainer for a fixed bridge.
• Use D2740 when the same material restores one natural tooth as a standalone crown.
• Report the pontic that replaces the missing tooth with the matching pontic code. Don't call the entire bridge one D6740 unit.
• Delta asks for a preoperative periapical image taken within one year for fixed-prosthodontic retainer codes D6710 through D6794.
• A public Delta 2026 plan covers D6740 once in five years for patients age 13 and older. New York Medicaid also lists a five-year interval and prior authorization.
• In a worked claim, a $1,500 retainer charge becomes a $1,100 allowable. The plan pays $550 at 50%, the patient owes $550, and the office adjusts $400.

What is D6740?

D6740 is a full-coverage porcelain or ceramic retainer crown. It covers an abutment tooth and connects to a fixed partial denture. The ADA glossary defines a prosthodontic retainer as the part that attaches a prosthesis to an abutment tooth, implant abutment, or implant body.

When do you bill D6740?

Use D6740 when the final bridge design and delivery confirm a ceramic retainer crown.

• Evaluate each abutment's periodontal, endodontic, and structural condition.
• Keep the preoperative periapical image for each retainer tooth.
• Match the lab prescription to porcelain or ceramic and the retainer role.
• Record final seating, cementation, contacts, occlusion, and hygiene instructions.

D6740 vs D2740 and a pontic code

Material can be identical while the prosthetic role changes the code.

What does insurance actually do with D6740?

Delta's public X-ray guidance requires a preoperative periapical image within one year of preparation for D6710 through D6794. A published Delta pediatric plan limits D6740 to once in five years and age 13 or older. New York Medicaid's 2025 schedule also lists once every five years, requires prior authorization, and shows a $505 rate.

Verify missing-tooth clauses, replacement frequency, alternate removable benefit, prior authorization, abutment prognosis, and the service-date rule.

• Office fee: $1,500
• Contracted allowable: $1,100
• Contractual adjustment: $400
• Plan payment at 50%: $550
• Patient balance: $550

Why does D6740 get denied?

• The treatment plan doesn't show a bridge retainer.
• The preoperative image isn't current under the payer rule.
• The bridge history doesn't clear the replacement interval.
• The abutment's periodontal, endodontic, or structural prognosis isn't supported.
• The bridge units, tooth numbers, or materials don't match the lab design.

What documentation gets D6740 paid?

1. Don't omit the missing tooth, pontic, or any abutment.
2. Don't file without current periapical images for the retainer teeth.
3. Document periodontal, endodontic, and structural prognosis.
4. Don't omit the lab record showing material and unit roles.
5. Record prior prosthesis age and replacement reason.
6. Save authorization, preparation date, and delivery date.
7. Use the retainer-buildup code, not D2950, when a distinct buildup for a bridge retainer is performed and supported.

Common questions about D6740

What is the difference between D6740 and D2740?

D6740 is a ceramic crown serving as a fixed-bridge retainer. D2740 is a ceramic crown restoring one natural tooth without that bridge role. Check the bridge design, tooth numbers, and lab prescription before coding because identical material doesn't make the units interchangeable.

How many D6740 units are in a three-unit bridge?

A common three-unit bridge that replaces one tooth and uses two ceramic retainer crowns has two D6740 units plus one pontic unit. The actual count follows the bridge design, each abutment's material, and every unit's role, so label the retainers and pontics separately.

How often is D6740 covered?

The cited Delta and New York Medicaid documents use five years. Those are public examples, not one universal rule. Verify the member's replacement history, prior bridge date, age terms, authorization requirements, and any exception for a failed or damaged prosthesis before estimating coverage.

Is D2950 used for a D6740 abutment?

The ADA points to D6973 for a core buildup for a retainer. The D2950 guide applies to a crown buildup, not the bridge-retainer-specific procedure. Document the missing tooth structure and distinct buildup, then select the code that matches the final retainer role.

Audit the bridge by unit

Don't file until every retainer and pontic line matches the bridge design, material, and tooth number.

Sources

• ADA, Glossary of Dental Terms
• ADA, materials for indirect restorations
• Delta Dental, X-ray claim guidelines for fixed prosthodontics
• Delta Dental, 2026 D6740 age and frequency
• ADA, core buildup guidance
• New York Medicaid, January 2025 dental fee schedule
• Utah Medicaid, 2025 dental fee schedule
• Michigan Medicaid, January 2025 dental fee schedule

CDT codes and nomenclature are copyright © American Dental Association. This guide explains the code in plain language; the current CDT manual is the authoritative source.