How Much Can You Get for Selling Old Gold Dental Crowns?

A small envelope from an old dental visit, or a plastic bag at the bottom of a jewelry box after an estate cleanout, and suddenly you are holding a few dull, tooth-shaped pieces of metal. People who find them usually ask the same thing: what are they good for, and is selling old dental gold crowns even worth the trouble? Yes, dental gold is a real scrap metal with real value. How much you get depends on weight, what the alloy contains and which buyer you choose, so we cannot name a figure from a blog post. What we can do is lay out the routes, from the one that takes the most effort to the one that takes the least.

Why nobody can quote you a number from a photo

A crown is a gold alloy, a blend made to survive years of chewing. Dentists used different blends over the decades, and crowns almost never carry a karat stamp the way a ring does. You cannot read the content off the surface, and a bit of cement or porcelain may still be stuck to it. Some white-looking dental metal holds palladium or platinum rather than much gold at all.

That is why any honest number has to come after the piece has been handled. Weight and content both matter, and neither can be judged from a description. If you want the longer explanation of what drives the value, we wrote it up in our guide to dental gold value. Our pricing page explains how we approach what we pay.

Four routes for selling old dental gold crowns, from most work to least

1. Sell them yourself online

This is the most work for most people. You photograph the pieces, write a description you cannot fully verify, wait for a stranger to be interested, pack the parcel and ship it. Buyers on open marketplaces are cautious about scrap they cannot test, and you may end up in a dispute about what was in the package. If you enjoy that kind of project, it is possible. For a few small crowns, it is a lot of effort.

2. Mail them to a dental-gold refiner

This second route is legitimate, and plenty of people have used it without trouble. It is simply impractical for many sellers. You send the gold off before you have a final figure, the answer arrives days or weeks later, and the evaluation happens somewhere you cannot watch. If the quote surprises you, your pieces are already in someone else's hands. It suits a large lot and a patient seller.

3. A pawn shop

Pawn shops mostly work by lending against an item, with the loan secured by what you leave behind. Some will also buy outright. Dental scrap is not something every pawn shop is set up to assess, so you may be turned away or asked to come back. If your only goal is a quick loan against something you intend to reclaim, a pawn shop is built for that. Old crowns you have no plans to wear again are a different case.

4. A local dealer

This is the least work. You carry the pieces in, they are assessed in front of you, and you leave with cash if you like what you hear. There is no shipping, no listing and no waiting for a cheque. At KC Gold and Silver in Lenexa, dental gold is handled the same way as jewelry: weighed, tested while you watch, and the reasoning explained in plain words before you decide anything. Looking costs nothing, and you can say no and take your pieces home.

What a local dealer is still not going to do

We are buying scrap metal that gets refined, so we pay for the metal in your crowns, not for the dental work or for what it cost back then. A dealer has to cover refining and keep the doors open, which means a number below the raw value of the metal. Anyone who tells you otherwise is describing a different business. What you get in exchange for that gap is certainty, speed and a clear explanation.

What to bring to Lenexa

• Every piece you have. Crowns, bridges, a partial framework, loose gold fillings. A small piece that looks like nothing still adds to the total.
• Them as they are. Leave the cement and porcelain on. Scraping at them at home can damage the piece, and we deal with that part ourselves. A rinse is fine if they came out of a drawer.
• Any paperwork. If a dentist's note mentions the alloy, bring it. It is not required, but it is useful.
• Photo ID. Dealers ask for a government-issued one when they buy.

A handful of pieces makes for a short visit. Parking the car, putting everything on the tray, watching it get weighed and tested and hearing the offer is usually a matter of minutes. You can walk in without an appointment. If you would rather call ahead, ring (913) 565-4653, which is also (913) 565-GOLD, or look at how selling dental gold works with us.

Our plain answer

A local dealer who assesses dental gold while you wait is the simplest way to turn old crowns into same-day cash, and the amount depends on their weight, what metal is actually in them and the market that day, not on what the dentist once charged. If you are happy to do the legwork, the other routes exist. If you would rather be done in one trip, bring them to us.

Questions people ask about selling dental gold in Lenexa

How much can I get for selling old dental gold crowns?

It depends on how much the pieces weigh, what alloy they are made of and the market on the day you sell. Nobody can responsibly give you a figure without handling them. At KC Gold and Silver we weigh and test them at the counter, then tell you what we can pay and how we got there.

Does KC Gold and Silver really buy dental gold?

Yes. Crowns, bridges and other dental scrap are part of what we handle at our shop in Lenexa, Kansas, alongside gold jewelry and sterling silver.

Should I clean off the cement or porcelain before I come in?

No. Leave them as they are. Scraping can damage a piece, and removing the residue is something we handle during the evaluation.

Do I need to know the karat or have paperwork from my dentist?

No. Dental pieces rarely have a stamp, and testing is how we find out what is in them. A dentist's note about the alloy can be handy, but you do not need one.

Is it safe to mail my crowns somewhere instead?

Some mail-in buyers are reputable, but you are shipping before you have a firm answer and cannot watch the testing. Many people prefer to bring them to a local counter so the answer comes in person.

How do I reach KC Gold and Silver before I drive to Lenexa?

Call (913) 565-4653, which is also (913) 565-GOLD, or visit kcgoldandsilver.com. You are welcome to walk in, and the evaluation is free with no pressure to sell.