D6114 is the CDT code for a fixed full-arch denture on implants or implant abutments for an upper jaw with no natural teeth.
- When to use: The definitive upper hybrid, such as an All-on-4, is screwed or cemented so only the clinician can remove it, and it bills once per arch.
- When not to use: A removable upper overdenture is D6110, an upper arch with teeth left is D6116, the lower arch is D6115, and the same-day interim is D6119.
- Billing note: Many plans exclude implants or pay only toward a conventional denture, so predetermine before surgery and check the replacement interval on the arch.
What D6114 covers
D6114 reports delivery of a fixed full-arch denture supported by implants or implant abutments on an upper jaw with no natural teeth. This is the screw-retained upper hybrid marketed as All-on-4 or All-on-X. The patient does not remove it; the clinician backs out the prosthetic screws when it needs to come off.
Report it once per arch. A patient with fixed hybrids top and bottom is D6114 for the upper and D6115 for the lower: two lines, not one full-mouth line and not a line per implant. Check that the PMS template does not default implant prosthetics to per-tooth or per-implant entry, which produces multi-line claims for a single prosthesis.
It does not include:
- The surgical placement of the implant bodies. That is D6010, per implant.
- The abutments. Prefabricated is D6056, custom fabricated is D6057.
- A connecting bar, when the design uses one. That is D6055. Some plans treat a bar as outside the fixed-hybrid workflow: Delta Dental of Kansas’s consultant guidance on All-on-4 restorations lists D6055, with the removable codes D6110 and D6111, as procedures not billed with D6114 or D6115.
- The interim fixed prosthesis delivered at or near surgery. On the upper arch that is D6119, and D6118 on the lower. This numbering is the reverse of D6114 and D6115, and it is the easiest slip in this family. Billing the definitive code on the surgery date and again at final delivery is a duplicate the carrier will find.
- The maintenance visits that follow. Those are D6080 or D6180 (see below).
The eight-code grid, and the three questions that place a case in it
D6114 belongs to a block of eight implant-supported denture codes that differ on three axes:
| Upper, no teeth left | Lower, no teeth left | Upper, some teeth left | Lower, some teeth left | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Removable (patient takes it out) | D6110 | D6111 | D6112 | D6113 |
| Fixed (only the clinician removes it) | D6114 | D6115 | D6116 | D6117 |
- Fixed or removable? Fixed means it is screwed or cemented down and stays in the mouth between visits. Removable means the patient handles it at home, which is D6110 no matter how many implants carry it. This axis gets mixed up most, because a note that says “implant denture” does not settle it.
- Which arch? D6114 is maxillary. D6115 is the same restoration on the mandible.
- Fully or partially edentulous? D6114 requires an upper arch with no natural teeth at the date of service; “extraction planned” does not count. If natural upper teeth remain, the code is D6116.
D6114 or a bridge built from retainers and pontics
A fixed prosthesis on implants can be reported two ways, and only one of them is D6114.
D6114 is one prosthesis, one line, for the whole arch. It is the full-arch denture form: denture teeth and acrylic over a framework, or a monolithic zirconia arch, seated on multiple implants and screwed or cemented down. It is not divided into units, so it is not billed in units.
An implant-supported fixed partial denture is billed per unit. A bridge on implants uses a retainer code at each implant and a pontic code at each replaced tooth: D6068 for an abutment-supported porcelain or ceramic retainer, D6075 for the implant-supported ceramic retainer, and pontic codes such as D6245. Single implant crowns like D6065 are in the same family.
Bill the prosthesis that was delivered, not the code set that pays better. Splitting a full-arch hybrid into retainers and pontics to get past thin implant benefits misreports the service, and so does collapsing a real multi-unit bridge into one D6114 line. Carriers treat either as a claims integrity question.
Coverage and how carriers treat it
Implant prosthetics are among the least consistently covered categories in dental benefits. Establish coverage on the specific contract before treatment planning, and record the exclusion, missing-tooth clause, alternate-benefit rule, and replacement interval on the plan record where the treatment coordinator sees them.
Categorical exclusions. Many plans exclude implants and implant prosthetics entirely. Under that contract D6114 is a non-covered service, not a denial to appeal, and the case has to be quoted that way from the start.
Missing-tooth clauses. If the plan excludes teeth missing when coverage began, an arch edentulous for years can be excluded under a plan that otherwise pays implant benefits. Get the extraction dates before treatment planning.
Alternate benefit. Many carriers pay an allowance toward a conventional alternative and leave the patient the balance. The basis varies by carrier and contract, even within one brand. Delta Dental of North Carolina’s published exceptions pay implant/abutment supported complete or partial dentures at the conventional-denture amount, which on this arch is the complete upper denture (D5110). Delta Dental Insurance Company’s provider guidance on implant claims uses a different basis: an allowance calculated from the fee for a standard pontic procedure.
Replacement intervals. Plans that cover full-arch prosthetics usually set a multi-year replacement limitation, with the clock running from the last prosthesis on that arch, including a conventional denture. Delta Dental of Kansas’s All-on-4 guidance lists D6114 and D6115 as payable once every five years or per contract, and Delta Dental of North Carolina applies a five-year frequency to complete dentures and their supporting implants. Longer intervals exist, so pull the prior prosthetic history on the arch before delivery.
Predetermination. These are among the largest single claims a general practice submits. A predetermination that returns an alternate benefit toward a conventional denture is better news before surgery than after delivery.
Annual maximums. A fully covered arch usually exceeds the annual maximum on its own, and the surgical phase may already have used it.
After delivery: the maintenance that follows
D6080 reports the maintenance visit where the full-arch fixed hybrid is unscrewed and removed, the prosthesis and abutments are cleaned, and the prosthesis is reinserted. D6180 reports the same cleaning when the prosthesis is not removed. Treating implant surfaces for inflammation or mucositis is a separate procedure from either.
D6114 and the maintenance codes are separate benefit decisions, so a plan that paid the prosthesis may not pay maintenance on it. Some plans also will not pay maintenance for a period after delivery, treating early follow-up as part of the delivery fee. Record the seat date where the maintenance workflow can find it, and verify both rules during treatment planning.
Documentation that supports the claim
Full-arch claims get reviewed, so build the file as the case progresses:
- Radiographs. Pre-operative images of the implant sites and post-operative images showing each implant in full. Carriers deny full-arch claims on missing or non-diagnostic images more often than on the prosthesis itself.
- A narrative that names the prosthesis. Fixed, full-arch, maxillary, implant or abutment supported, and the number of implants.
- The edentulous status of the arch and the dates the teeth were lost. This answers a missing-tooth clause and cannot be reconstructed later.
- The lab prescription and the delivery note, which tie the material and design on the invoice to the code.
- The interim prosthesis history. If a provisional was delivered under D6119, the file should show two separate prostheses, not a duplicate service.
For how the arch, prosthesis, and remarks are reported on the claim, see the ADA dental claim form guide.
FAQs
- What is the dental code for a fixed upper implant denture?
- D6114, when the upper arch has no natural teeth left and the full-arch prosthesis is fixed, so only the clinician can remove it. This is the restoration patients call All-on-4 or a screw-retained upper hybrid. It is billed once per arch, not per implant or per tooth. The lower-arch version is D6115.
- What is the difference between D6114 and D6110?
- Whether the patient can take the denture out. Both describe an implant-restored upper arch with no natural teeth. D6114 is fixed, screwed or cemented in place and removed only in the operatory. D6110 is the removable overdenture the patient snaps in and out at home. Carriers often price and benefit the two differently, so the chart has to state which one was delivered.
- What is the difference between D6114 and D6116?
- Whether any natural teeth remain on the upper arch. D6114 is for an upper arch with none. D6116 is the fixed implant denture for a partially edentulous upper arch. A chart showing remaining upper teeth against a D6114 claim is a mismatch a reviewer will catch.
- Does D6114 include the implants and the abutments?
- No. D6114 reports the fixed full-arch prosthesis only. Each implant body is reported separately as D6010. Abutments are D6056 for prefabricated and D6057 for custom fabricated. A connecting bar, if used, is D6055. Each line, usually on its own date of service, gets its own benefit decision.
- Why did the plan deny D6114?
- Usually for plan-dependent reasons upstream of the prosthesis: an implant exclusion, a missing-tooth clause on an arch that was edentulous before coverage started, or an alternate benefit that pays only toward a conventional alternative. Delta Dental of North Carolina, for one, publishes that implant/abutment supported complete or partial dentures are paid at the conventional-denture amount. Many plans also apply a replacement limitation, commonly five years, if the arch was restored before. Verify all of these before the case starts.
- What code covers the temporary bridge placed the day of surgery?
- D6119 for the interim fixed denture on an edentulous maxillary arch, and D6118 for the mandibular one. That is the reverse of the definitive order, where D6114 is maxillary and D6115 mandibular, so check the arch against the descriptor. The definitive upper prosthesis delivered months later is D6114.
Related codes
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CDT codes are maintained by the American Dental Association. This page is an editorial billing guide, not the official ADA code descriptor. Verify current coverage policies with each carrier before submitting claims.