The demand for precious metals is projected to increase with the estimated size of the precious metals market to rise to $445.8 billion by 2033, according to forecasts by Fact.MR.1 With these precious metals forecasted to rise in value, it can be a good opportunity for those who hold dental scrap, like gold, palladium, and silver, and want to sell it.
Many dental practices are now realizing the financial benefits of dental metal recycling, as it allows them to recover value from unused or discarded dental materials. Dental scrap metal recycling is an environmentally-friendly practice that helps to reduce waste and promote sustainable practices in the dental industry.
Selling Dental Gold? How it Works
Throughout history, gold was a popular material for fillings. For about 4,000 years, gold has been used for decorative and restorative dental care.2 Recent advances in dental porcelains and consumer focus on aesthetic results have caused the demand for gold crowns to drop in favor of advanced composites and porcelain veneers and crowns.3
With this shift to composite resins and other types of fillings, dental practices ended up with gold fillings, crowns, inlays, and onlays when they removed those restorations. They also accumulated more dental gold after tooth extractions.
After having accumulated dental scrap made of precious metals, dental practices discovered they could sell those metals and bring in additional revenue for their offices.
How to Sell Dental Gold
Here’s the general process for selling dental gold:
- Accumulate dental scrap
- Sort and assess the metals
- Choose a buyer
- Deliver the materials, either in person or in the mail
- Complete the transaction
What Scrap Dental is Worth
The price of gold and other precious metals have escalated rapidly over the last couple of decades.4 As a result, cheaper alternatives for dental gold have been sought. Sometimes compounds that contained only 30% actual gold were accepted for use as dental gold.
Beginning in the late 1970s, palladium began to be used in alloys for dental gold inlays, bridges, and crowns.5 The palladium alloys generally contain gold (often only about 2%), as well as silver, zinc, copper, and, sometimes, iridium.
While the nature of dental scrap has changed, these other substitutes are still valuable.
Gold isn’t the only precious metal that has seen a recent spike in value. Platinum, palladium, , and silver are often found in crowns, bridges, PFMs (porcelain-fused-to-metal), PFGs (porcelain-fused-to-gold), inlays, and onlays, and they can be worth significant sums.
What is a Gold Crown Worth
To determine what a gold crown is worth, what a gold inlay is worth, and what a gold bridge is worth requires a bit of research.
Several factors go into determining the worth of a gold crown or any other restorative or decorative dental piece:5
- Purity
- Weight
- Condition
- Market price
- Refining costs
- Authentication
Dental gold ranges from 10K (41.7% gold purity) to 22K (92% gold purity). The weight of each crown, filling, and bridge varies.6
- Gold crown: 2-5 grams/0.07-0.18 oz
- Gold fillings: 0.5-2 grams/0.02-0.07 oz
- Gold bridges: 2-4 grams/0.07-0.14 oz
It is difficult to estimate the worth of dental gold without an appraisal because the gold is mixed with other metals to create an alloy. Appraisals using high-tech gear, like what we offer for free at Cash for Dental Scrap, can determine what precious metals exist in the scrap, along with the purity and weight. Rather than dispose of your dental scrap.
Where to Sell Dental Scrap
When trying to decide where to sell dental scrap, you have options. You can sell to:
- Refiners
- Local dealers, pawn shops, or local jewelers
- Specialized online buyers like Cash for Dental Scrap
If you sell the dental scrap via a local jeweler or pawn shop, you will have to pack up the scrap and travel to the buyer. You will likely not get the best offer because of their expenses, like rent, insurance, security, utilities, and other bills.
If you choose a buyer like Cash for Dental Scrap, there is no need to sort your precious metals, just request a free Appraisal Kit, pack your scrap in a specially designed mailer, and ship it to you free of charge. Our expert evaluators will determine the purity and weight of each precious metal and make you an offer within 24 hours of receiving your dental scrap.
Additionally, we offer a Price “Beat” Guarantee: We will beat any competitor’s written offer or return your items to you free of charge. A risk-free, hassle-free transaction at no cost to you.
Request your free Appraisal Kit today, and we’ll send you our secure, insured, prepaid envelope so you can safely ship us your dental scrap.
We guarantee you’ll be satisfied with it, or we’ll return your materials to you at no cost to your dental practice.
FAQs About Selling Dental Scrap
Is dental gold real gold?
Dental gold is real gold, however, it is usually mixed with other metals, known as alloys. Gold has been mixed with metals like palladium, silver, zinc, and copper.
Is dental gold worth selling?
Because the price of gold has been relatively high in recent years, dental gold is worth selling. It provides dental businesses and practices an avenue to bring in additional revenue from scrap.
Selling to Cash for Dental Scrap is beneficial because it can be difficult to determine the value of what you have with a visual inspection. When you sell your dental gold and scrap to us, our certified experts will evaluate the materials and pay you for all precious metals, including platinum, palladium, and silver.
How much is dental gold worth?
It is difficult to determine how much dental gold is worth due to it being mixed with other metals. For this reason, we recommend requesting a free appraisal. You can send your dental scrap to us, and our certified appraisers will determine how much your dental gold and any other precious metals mixed in are worth.
Is dental metal worth anything?
Dental metal can have value, especially if it contains precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. These metals can be extracted and recycled. At Cash for Dental Scrap, we monitor the current market price daily to ensure you receive the best offer from us.
Are old dentures worth anything?
Old dentures might have some value, but at Cash for Dental Scrap, we purchase dental materials that contain precious metals.
What are the benefits of selling dental scrap?
Dental practices that sell their dental scrap to Cash for Dental Scrap enjoy several benefits. It can bring in extra revenue and help with cash flow. When we buy the precious metals in dental scrap, you are helping to recycle these materials. Recycling these precious metals can reduce the need to mine additional metals.
What does Cash for Dental Scrap buy?
Send us any items that contain gold, silver, platinum, or palladium through mail. This includes a wide range of materials such as crowns, bridges, PFMs (porcelain-fused-to-metal), PFGs (porcelain-fused-to-gold), inlays, caps, and gold partials. We accept all kinds of materials, whether they have bone or porcelain attached or not. If you have any doubts about a specific item, you can either send it to us for our experts to evaluate, or you can give us a call and we will do our best to assist you over the phone.
Who buys dental gold near me?
You can do a search for “dental scrap buyers near me” to see if there are any local businesses that are buying. Cash for Dental Scrap offers a hassle-free selling experience that is so convenient you don’t have to leave your home. We’ll send you a mailer with a free shipping label, and you can mail the package back to us at no charge to you.
Where can I sell dental gold?
There are a number of places where you can sell dental gold and scrap. Precious metals refineries, dental scrap buyers, jewelers, and pawn shops are some of the companies that buy dental scrap. There are also online gold buyers like Cash for Dental Scrap that buy dental gold, too. We make selling dental scrap easy; simply request a free appraisal, ship us your materials, and we’ll make you an offer within 24 hours.
About Cash for Dental Scrap
Cash for Dental Scrap is a prominent online buyer of dental scrap, as well as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, in the United States. Since 2005, we have paid millions to thousands of dental practices for their dental gold and scrap. We offer a quick and straightforward selling process, ensuring customers receive prompt and competitive offers for their materials. Learn more about us, or request your free Appraisal Kit now.
Sources:
1. Fact.MR – Precious Metal Market, https://www.factmr.com/report/precious-metal-market, Retrieved Jan. 11, 2024
2. Wikipedia – Gold teeth, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_teeth. Retrieved Jan. 5, 2024
3. Dental Economics – Comparing new vs. older dental concepts, https://www.dentaleconomics.com/science-tech/article/14289007/comparing-new-dental-concepts-with-older-ones. Retrieved Jan. 5, 2024
4. Kitco – Precious Metals, https://www.kitco.com/price/precious-metals. Retrieved Jan. 5, 2024
5. Johnson Matthey Technology Review – Palladium in Restorative Dentistry: Superior Physical Properties Make Palladium an Ideal Dental Metal, https://technology.matthey.com/article/48/1/30-31. Retrieved Jan. 5, 2023
6. CDHP Dental Health – How Much Is Dental Gold Worth? (Evaluation Guide), https://www.cdhp.org/how-much-is-dental-gold-worth. Retrieved Jan. 11, 2024