Guide
How much is dental gold worth?
Old crowns, bridges, and inlays often contain real gold, but dental alloys vary far more than jewelry does. The only way to know what one holds is to melt and test it.
Updated November 2, 2026 · Prices as of November 2, 2026, 6:20 p.m. Pacific
What dental gold is made of
Dental work isn't stamped like jewelry. Dentists use alloys chosen for strength, and they're grouped by how much precious metal they contain:
- High noble: at least 60% precious metals (gold, platinum, and palladium), with at least 40% gold. A yellow crown is often in this group.
- Noble: at least 25% precious metals, often mostly palladium or silver, with less gold.
- Base metal: under 25% precious metals. Silver-colored crowns are often nickel or cobalt alloys, with little or no gold.
Color helps a little, but it isn't reliable: some white-looking alloys are rich in palladium, and some yellow ones are low in gold.
Leave the porcelain on
Many crowns are porcelain fused to a metal base. The porcelain adds weight but contains no metal of value and burns off or separates in the melt. Leave it on; there's no need to try to remove it.
Paid on the gold the assay finds
Dental gold is melted with the rest of a scrap lot and paid on the gold content the assay finds, at our scrap rate of 94% of the Kitco bid when melting and assay begin. Gold is at $3,942 an ounce right now. A single crown usually holds only a few grams of alloy, so dental gold is best sold together with other scrap gold.
Is it safe to send?
Yes. Clean the pieces and seal them in a small bag. Dental gold is the patient's property, and it's legal to sell your own.
The highest payouts for your gold, at a published percentage of the live Kitco bid.
Dental gold
Add it to your scrap lot.
Send photos and an approximate weight with the rest of your gold, and we'll reply with a free written estimate.