Ask before you post, always
You never have to commit to anything to start. Message us on WhatsApp or call, tell us roughly what you have, and send a few clear photos for a quick indicative figure. Nothing leaves your hands until you decide it should, and there is no obligation even then.
GoldPaid is a UK-wide postal gold and silver buying service. Wherever you are, you sell dental gold by post with a free tracked Royal Mail label. There is no shop to visit and no counter pressure.
What dental gold we buy
- Gold crowns and caps
- Gold bridges and bridgework
- Gold inlays and onlays
- Gold fillings and dental scrap
Dental gold is an alloy. It is mixed with other metals for hardness, and a crown or bridge often still has porcelain, tooth material or other non-gold components attached. You do not need to remove or clean anything. The XRF assay measures the true gold content and the non-gold parts are simply accounted for in the figure.
How much gold is in a crown, bridge or filling
Dental alloys vary widely, chosen decades ago by whichever laboratory cast the piece. These are the ranges commonly seen by weight; they describe restoration types, not your particular items, and two crowns that look identical can be different alloys.
| Restoration | Typical gold content | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Cast yellow gold crowns and caps | Often around 60–75% | High-noble alloys, usually with palladium, platinum and silver alongside |
| Gold inlays and onlays | Often around 60–75% | Similar alloys to full crowns; small, but denser than they look |
| Porcelain-fused-to-metal units | Roughly 40–52% when high-noble | Many PFM units are base metal, with no gold at all |
| Bridges and bridgework | Varies within one bridge | Retainers, pontics and solder joints need not be the same alloy |
| Gold fillings | Near-pure down to none | Direct gold work is close to pure but uncommon; most are cast inlays |
| Silver-coloured crowns | Usually none | Typically cobalt-chrome or stainless steel; a few white alloys carry gold |
How XRF reads porcelain-fused metal
An XRF assay fires X-rays at the metal and reads the signature the elements send back. It reports what the alloy is made of, not how much gold a whole piece holds. Ceramic is not metal, so a reading through a porcelain facing is unreliable; on a porcelain-fused unit the assay is taken on exposed alloy, usually the bare fitting surface inside the crown.
Composition is only half the answer. Each piece is weighed too, and porcelain, cement, tooth material and any base-metal substructure carry weight holding no gold, so they are accounted for rather than paid for.
Is it legal to sell dental gold in the UK?
A removed restoration is normally the patient’s own property, so tell the practice you would like to keep it before the appointment. Afterwards it will usually have entered a regulated waste stream that cannot be reversed. Practices and laboratories work to further rules again, with amalgam segregated for mercury recovery rather than sold. Our guide to the legal position on selling dental gold sets out the detail, including how the waste rules differ across the UK.
What happens, from first message to payment
- A photo and a question. Send photos of your dental gold on WhatsApp. We reply with a quick indicative figure and answer whatever you want to know.
- A prepaid label, on request. Ask for the label when you are ready. We send a free Royal Mail Special Delivery label, tracked and signed for, or a QR code for the Post Office counter.
- You post it. Any padded envelope is fine, posted whenever you choose.
- We assess and write it up. Calibrated weighing plus an XRF assay produce a written, itemised offer for you to read at home, usually on the working day your parcel arrives.
- Your decision. Accept for payment by Faster Payments, or decline for a free, tracked, signed-for return.
Hygiene, handling and how to package it
- A rinse in warm soapy water and a dry on kitchen roll is plenty. Cleaning is not a condition of sending.
- Do not pick, scrape or grind anything off. Working at attached porcelain by hand tends to lose gold rather than reveal it.
- Seal the pieces in a small bag so nothing can work loose; a pill pot inside the bag suits small crowns and fillings.
- Bag it into a padded envelope with a slip showing your name and number, and keep the Post Office receipt as proof of postage.
If a whole natural tooth is still attached, message us before posting and we will confirm how to handle it. Tooth material bonded inside a crown is routine and can be sent as it is, as our dental gold guide explains.
The valuation, in plain terms
We do not eyeball a figure. Each item is XRF-assayed for purity and weighed on calibrated scales, then valued against the live market rate, and you see the working in writing before you decide. The method is set out in full on how we value gold.
Dental gold is valued on its measured gold content, not its total weight. Each piece is XRF-assayed to determine the actual proportion of gold in the alloy, and any attached porcelain, tooth material or base metal is excluded from the figure. Your written breakdown shows the confirmed gold content and the offer it produces.
Cover in transit
Your parcel travels on Royal Mail Special Delivery, and Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. The prepaid label is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: full tracking, a signature on delivery, arranged with that cover per parcel. Higher-value items are no problem, but please message us first so the cover and the packing approach match the value. Postage and cover explains it fully.
If the offer is not for you
Then nothing happens except a free return. We send your items back by tracked, signed-for post at our cost, with no fee for declining and no follow-up. A valuation is only worth having if you can turn it down freely, so you can. See what happens if I decline the offer.
Dental practices, laboratories and bulk lots
Practices and laboratories build up precious-metal scrap: failed castings, sprues and buttons, old bridgework left behind, and bench sweepings. Bulk lots are welcome, sorted by type before weighing and assayed by piece type rather than from one sample, since a consignment usually holds several alloys.
Cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used, so message us before a larger consignment and we will confirm whether to split it across parcels. Anything returned to a patient remains the patient’s property, so send only scrap you may sell. Laboratories and surgeries with recurring scrap can use the dental gold and precious alloy collection service for labs, which settles palladium and platinum per element and sets out the decontamination standard for material sent from practices.
Who this helps
This page is for crowns and bridges kept in an envelope after dental work, and for the ones found in a bedside drawer while clearing a relative’s belongings. Dental alloys carry no hallmark, so the metal is XRF-assayed and settled per element rather than guessed at from the colour. A single crown is small, and its gold content is still real and confirmable.
Payment, once you accept
When you say yes to the written offer, GoldPaid pays by Faster Payments bank transfer within one working hour of acceptance, to your nominated account. You give those details only at the point you accept, never as a condition of getting an offer.
Why this is a calmer way to sell
Three things make GoldPaid a steadier route than a counter sale. You see a measured valuation in writing, not a verbal estimate. You decide at home, with nobody waiting. And if you decline, the return is free, tracked and signed for, so obtaining the valuation costs you nothing.
Common questions
Is a single gold crown worth selling?
It can be. Dental gold is an alloy, so a crown is not pure gold, but it still holds genuine value. The XRF assay confirms the actual gold content, and you see the figure before you decide anything.
How is dental gold valued if it is not pure gold?
It is valued on its measured gold content. The XRF assay determines the proportion of gold in the alloy; non-gold components are excluded. Your written breakdown shows the confirmed content and the offer.
How much gold is in a dental crown?
It depends on the alloy the laboratory used. Cast yellow gold crowns are commonly around 60–75% gold by weight; porcelain-fused units are often nearer 40–52%, and some are base metal with none at all.
Are gold fillings worth anything in the UK?
Usually, yes. Most items people call gold fillings are cast inlays in the same high-noble alloys used for crowns, and they are denser than they look. Send a photo on WhatsApp for an honest steer before posting.
Do you buy dental silver or amalgam fillings?
Not amalgam: it contains mercury and is hazardous waste. Silver-coloured crowns are usually cobalt-chrome or stainless steel with no melt value, though some white dental alloys do carry gold or palladium, so send a photo first.
Can I sell a gold dental bridge?
Yes, and send it whole. Retainers, pontics and solder joints within one bridge need not be the same alloy, so a bridge is assayed piece by piece rather than cut apart at home.
Can a dental practice or laboratory send bulk scrap?
Yes. Practice and laboratory lots are sorted, weighed and assayed by piece type. Message us before a larger consignment so we can confirm the right postal and cover approach.
What if I decline the offer?
Your items are returned to you free of charge by tracked, signed-for Royal Mail post. There is no fee for declining and no follow-up pressure.
Request a free prepaid Royal Mail label
Tell us where to send it. The label arrives by email, usually within about 30 minutes during working hours. Requesting one commits you to nothing: you get a written offer after the XRF assay, and if you decline, your items come back to you free.
Would you rather ask a question first, or send a photo? Message us on WhatsApp . It is the fastest way to get a sense of what something is worth before you post anything.