The Value Of Dental Gold: Key Considerations

Posted on: 6 April 2016

Gold is not used for dental work today as much as it was in the past. Gold dental work is often replaced with pieces made from other materials, such as porcelain. If you have had any gold fillings or crowns taken out and replaced, you can make some extra money by selling the old dental work. The following article examines some key considerations to keep in mind. 

Color  

Color plays a critical role in the value of your golf dental scrap. If the color is a deep yellow, then you probably have gold that is of a higher karat, which is more valuable. Dental scrap with a deeper shade of yellow is generally about 16 to 18 karats and will bring a higher price when you sell. 

Alloy 

Just because the scrap has a lighter shade of yellow or is white (white gold) does not mean the item is worthless, just that it will bring a lower price. Lighter-colored scrap items have a greater percentage of other metals mixed with the gold, with palladium, platinum and silver being common alloys. As these metals are less valuable than gold, dental scrap that contains them in higher percentages is worth less to the buyer. 

You don't really have any practical way to determine the alloy content of your dental scrap before you sell. The buyer will typically need to run tests to determine the percentage of gold in the items.  

Partial Denture

One point to remember is that if your dental item is a partial denture, then it probably does not contain any gold. These pieces are generally made out of a steel alloy, not precious metals. 

Weight  

Of course, another critical factor in the price your scrap gold will bring is its weight. The heavier the gold content, the higher the value. As an example, a gold crown might weigh about one tenth of an ounce. The gold content of the item will not be pure gold, however, and the price you receive will reflect that. 

Market 

The last major factor in determining how much your dental scrap is worth is the price of gold on the open market. This price fluctuates from day to day. If possible, you might want to watch the market price over time and sell your dental scrap when the trend is upward. 

Selling your dental gold offers you the chance to earn some extra money for items that are probably just lying in a drawer. To learn more, contact a company like Palace Jewelry & Loan.

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