How to Sell Dental Gold in SF: Your Fair-Price Guide

Have old dental crowns, bridges, or gold fillings sitting in a drawer? With gold trading above $4,400 per ounce, that small collection of dental work could represent hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Yet many people in San Francisco, CA accept the first offer they receive—often losing 30-50% of their dental gold’s actual value to uninformed selling.

The challenge isn’t just finding a buyer; it’s understanding how to sell dental gold in San Francisco at a fair price when the refining process is complex, alloy compositions vary dramatically, and some buyers deliberately take advantage of sellers who don’t know what they have. This guide walks you through the exact steps to maximize your payout, compare offers intelligently, and avoid the common pitfalls that cost sellers money.

Quick Answer: What Is a Fair Price for Dental Gold?

Key Takeaways:

• Dental “gold” is almost never pure—it’s typically a high-value alloy containing gold, silver, platinum, and palladium along with base metals
• Fire assay is the most accurate testing method; visual inspection or handheld XRF devices are less reliable
• Dental-specialized refiners often pay higher percentages than walk-in gold buyers or pawn shops
• Always request a written settlement report showing weight, precious-metal breakdown, and how payment was calculated
• Compare at least three offers using the same metal-price reference date

Understanding What Dental Gold Actually Is

Before you can sell dental gold in San Francisco at a fair price, you need to understand what you’re selling. Gold has been used in dentistry since approximately 200 A.D., when Etruscans crafted gold crowns and bridgework. By the 1900s, gold became the standard material for crowns, bridges, inlays, and fillings due to its durability and biocompatibility.

However, dental gold is rarely pure. Most dental work contains multi-metal alloys designed to balance strength, durability, and aesthetics. A typical yellow dental crown might contain gold, silver, platinum, and palladium along with copper, zinc, or other base metals. White dental alloys often have higher palladium or platinum content.

Why Visual Inspection Alone Won’t Work

You cannot accurately determine value by looking at dental gold. Two crowns that appear identical might have dramatically different precious-metal content depending on when they were made, which dental lab fabricated them, and what the dentist specified. Some partial denture frameworks that look metallic contain almost no precious metals at all—they’re often cobalt-chromium alloys worth essentially nothing as scrap.

This is why reputable buyers in neighborhoods like the Financial District, SoMa, and Pacific Heights insist on formal testing. According to the fire assay process, melting and assaying dental scrap is the gold standard for determining exact precious-metal content, as it burns away non-metallic materials and isolates pure metals for precise measurement.

Common Types of Dental Gold You Might Have

Valuable dental items typically include:

• Crowns and bridges: Usually the highest-value items, often containing 40-70% gold by weight
• Inlays and onlays: Solid gold restorations placed within or over teeth
• Clasps and connectors: Components from partial dentures, variable precious-metal content
• Gold foil and fillings: Older restorations, typically lower total weight but high purity

Items with little or no value include amalgam fillings (silver-colored, contain mercury and must be handled as hazardous waste) and most removable partial denture frameworks made from base-metal alloys.

Common Mistakes That Cost Sellers Money

When we work with clients throughout San Francisco—from the Richmond District to the Mission and Bayview—we consistently see the same costly errors. Understanding these mistakes before you sell can protect hundreds or thousands of dollars in value.

Accepting the First Offer Without Comparison

The biggest mistake is walking into a single buyer—often a pawn shop or cash-for-gold storefront—and accepting their immediate offer. These buyers frequently offer 40-60% of actual refined value, banking on sellers’ ignorance of the refining process. During economic downturns and high gold prices, media outlets like the New York Times have documented “dental gold rushes” where aggressive buyers visit dental offices and even funeral homes to purchase dental scrap, often at depressed prices.

Always obtain at least three written quotes. In our experience serving the San Francisco Bay Area, offers can vary by 30-50% for identical dental scrap depending on the buyer’s markup and testing methodology.

Trusting Buyers Who Won’t Explain Their Process

Legitimate refiners and buyers provide transparent information about their testing, fees, and payment calculations. Red flags include:

• Refusing to show you the weight of your dental scrap
• Claiming they can accurately determine value by visual inspection alone
• Offering cash immediately without any testing or documentation
• Pressuring you to sell “today only” to receive a special price
• Failing to provide a written settlement report breaking down metal content and calculations

Throwing Away “Small” Pieces

Many sellers discard small bits of dental gold—partial clasps, broken crown fragments, or grinding dust from dental lab work. Professional refiners process all dental scrap, including tiny pieces. At $4,472 per ounce, even a half-gram fragment contains roughly $70 worth of gold (assuming 16k purity). Collect everything in a small container before seeking quotes.

How to Find Fair-Priced Buyers in San Francisco, CA

San Francisco offers three main buyer categories, each with distinct advantages and trade-offs. Understanding these options helps you make informed decisions about where to sell.

Specialized Dental Refiners (Mail-In or Local)

Dental-focused refiners like Garfield Refining, Specialty Metals, and Manhattan Gold & Silver specialize exclusively in dental scrap. These companies typically offer:

• Fire assay testing: The most accurate method for determining precious-metal content
• Detailed settlement reports: Written documentation showing weights of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium
• Higher payout percentages: Often 80-95% of refined value after clearly disclosed fees
• Insured shipping: Free shipping kits with insurance for mail-in transactions

Many of these refiners primarily serve dentists and labs but also accept dental scrap from individual patients. The process typically takes 7-14 days from receipt to payment.

Local Precious-Metal Buyers and Coin Dealers

Established precious-metal dealers in San Francisco often purchase dental gold as part of their broader scrap-gold business. Local options include San Francisco Coin Buyers and other reputable dealers near Union Square and the Financial District (zip codes 94102, 94104, and 94108).

These buyers offer the advantage of in-person transactions with immediate evaluation. Many use X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers to quickly test metal composition, though fire assay remains more accurate for small, irregular dental pieces. When selecting a local buyer, ask about their testing method, fee structure, and whether they provide written appraisals or documentation of the transaction.

What to Avoid: Generic Cash-for-Gold Shops

While not all cash-for-gold businesses are unfair, many operate on high-margin, high-volume models that pay significantly less than specialized refiners or established precious-metal dealers. These shops often:

• Offer 40-60% of actual value with minimal testing
• Use aggressive marketing and “limited time” pressure tactics
• Provide little or no documentation of how value was determined
• Rely on sellers’ lack of knowledge about the refining process

A contrarian local insight: San Francisco buyers dealing near the Tenderloin and parts of the Mission (94102, 94110) sometimes encounter higher volumes of distressed sellers, which can correlate with lower offered prices compared to buyers in more affluent neighborhoods. Always compare offers from multiple locations and business types.

Step-by-Step: How to Sell Dental Gold at Fair Prices

Follow this systematic approach to maximize your payout while protecting yourself from low-ball offers and unclear processes.

Step 1: Collect and Sort Your Dental Scrap

Gather all dental gold items—crowns, bridges, partial denture clasps, fillings, and any other removed dental work. Separate obvious base-metal items (typically dull gray partial denture frameworks) from gold-colored pieces. Do not attempt to clean or polish the scrap; refiners prefer it as-is.

Important: Do not include silver-colored amalgam fillings. Amalgam contains mercury and requires hazardous-waste handling; most dental scrap buyers will not accept it.

Step 2: Research Current Precious-Metal Prices

Before contacting buyers, note current market prices for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. As of January 8, 2026, gold trades at $4,472.23 per troy ounce and silver at $80.29 per ounce. These prices provide the baseline for evaluating offers—any buyer’s payout should be a clearly disclosed percentage of these values based on your scrap’s assayed content.

Step 3: Contact Multiple Buyers and Ask Key Questions

Reach out to at least three potential buyers—ideally a mix of dental-specialized refiners and local precious-metal dealers. For each, ask:

• Testing method: “Do you use fire assay or XRF testing?”
• Payout percentage: “What percentage of refined metal value do you pay?”
• Fee structure: “What are your refining fees, assay fees, minimum charges, and any other costs?”
• Documentation: “Will you provide a written settlement report showing metal weights and calculations?”
• Timeline: “How long from receipt to payment?”
• Insurance: For mail-in buyers, “Is shipping insured, and to what limit?”

Reputable buyers will answer these questions clearly and patiently. Evasive or vague responses are warning signs.

Step 4: Compare Offers Using a Consistent Framework

Once you receive quotes or preliminary offers, compare them using the same metal-price reference and date. Calculate the effective payout percentage each buyer is offering after all fees. For example:

Buyer Type	Testing Method	Typical Payout	Documentation
Dental Refiners	Fire Assay	80-95% after fees	Full settlement report
Local Precious-Metal Dealers	XRF or Fire Assay	70-85% after fees	Written appraisal or receipt
Cash-for-Gold Shops	Visual or Basic Testing	40-60% or less	Minimal or none

The buyer offering the highest net payout with transparent documentation typically represents the fairest deal.

Step 5: Review Settlement Documentation Before Accepting Payment

Once a buyer processes your dental gold, carefully review the settlement report before accepting payment. The report should clearly show:

• Gross weight received
• Refined weights of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium (in troy ounces or grams)
• Metal prices used for calculation
• Payout percentages applied
• All fees deducted
• Final payment amount and method

If anything is unclear or inconsistent, contact the buyer before accepting payment. Understanding how written appraisals and documentation work is critical for protecting your interests.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a single dental crown worth?

A typical dental crown weighs 2-4 grams and contains 40-70% gold by weight, depending on the alloy. At current gold prices ($4,472.23/oz), a 3-gram crown with 50% gold content (1.5 grams or 0.048 troy ounces of pure gold) would contain approximately $215 worth of gold. Fair buyers pay 70-90% of this calculated value after refining fees—roughly $150-$195 for this example crown.

Can I sell dental gold with teeth still attached?

Yes. Professional refiners routinely process dental scrap with tooth material, porcelain, or ceramic still attached. The refining process (melting and assaying) separates precious metals from all non-metallic materials. You do not need to attempt removal yourself.

Is XRF testing as accurate as fire assay?

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) testing is faster and non-destructive, but generally less accurate than fire assay for small, irregular dental items with mixed alloy compositions. XRF analyzes surface composition, which may not represent the entire piece. Fire assay melts the sample and measures the actual refined metal content, making it the industry standard for final settlement.

Should I accept immediate cash offers?

Immediate cash offers are convenient but often come with the lowest payouts. Buyers offering instant cash typically cannot perform fire assay on-site and must build in larger margins to account for estimation risk. If maximizing value is your priority, choose buyers who perform proper assaying and provide detailed settlement reports, even if payment takes a few days.

What happens if I don’t like a mail-in refiner’s offer?

Reputable mail-in refiners allow you to decline their offer and have your dental scrap returned at no charge (or for a nominal shipping fee). Always confirm the buyer’s return policy before sending your material. If a refiner pressures you to accept an offer or charges excessive “processing fees” to return your scrap, that’s a significant red flag.

Final Recommendations for San Francisco Sellers

Successfully selling dental gold in San Francisco at a fair price requires preparation, comparison, and insistence on transparency. The refining process is complex, and dental alloys vary widely in composition—factors that make it easy for uninformed sellers to accept offers far below actual value.

Focus on buyers who use fire assay testing, provide detailed settlement reports, and clearly explain their fee structures. Compare at least three offers from different buyer types: dental-specialized refiners, established local precious-metal dealers, and (with caution) walk-in buyers. In our experience working throughout the Bay Area, the difference between the lowest and highest legitimate offer often exceeds 30%.

With gold trading above $4,400 per ounce in January 2026, your old dental crowns and bridges represent genuine value. Taking the time to understand the process, ask the right questions, and compare offers ensures you receive fair compensation for that value. If you’d like professional assistance evaluating your dental gold, contact our team for a transparent, documented appraisal process.

Sources and References

This article incorporates data and research from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) – Gold recycling and scrap recovery statistics
• Wikipedia – Fire assay methodology and precious-metal refining processes
• New York Times – Investigation of dental gold markets during economic periods
• Industry sources – Dental refining companies including Garfield Refining, Manhattan Gold & Silver, Specialty Metals, and Cora Refining
• Metal Price API – Current precious-metal market prices (January 8, 2026)