Thinking about selling an old gold tooth? You might be sitting on a small treasure. The value isn't a random guess—it’s based almost entirely on the precious metal it contains. A single gold crown can fetch anywhere from $80 to over $200, but that price hinges on three key things: the purity of the gold (karat), its weight, and the current market price of gold. At Carat24, a trusted Gold and Jewelry Buying expert, we offer Xray Scanning and Gold Testing for free to determine the exact value and provide you with the highest payout in Boise.
What Are Your Gold Teeth Actually Worth?
When you sell a gold tooth, you're not selling it as a piece of dental work. You're selling the raw material it's made from. It helps to think of it less like an old implant and more like a small, uniquely shaped gold bar.
Pure 24k gold is far too soft to stand up to the daily grind of chewing. Because of this, dentists use durable gold alloys, which means the gold is mixed with other metals to make it stronger. These alloys typically range from 10k to 18k.
So, while your gold tooth is a blend of metals, its value is locked into that gold content. The higher the karat, the more gold it contains, and the more it's worth.
Putting a Real Number on It
Dental gold holds real monetary value because of its high precious metal content. A typical dental crown weighs around 3.5 grams and is often made from 16-karat or 18-karat gold.
Here's a quick look at what that could mean for your payout.
Estimated Payout for a Standard Gold Tooth (3.5g)
This table gives you a ballpark idea of what a typical 3.5-gram gold tooth might be worth based on common purities. Remember, the market price of gold changes daily, so these are just estimates.
| Karat Purity | Pure Gold Content | Estimated Payout Range |
|---|---|---|
| 10K (41.7%) | 1.46g | $75 – $105 |
| 16K (66.7%) | 2.33g | $120 – $165 |
| 18K (75.0%) | 2.63g | $135 – $185 |
As you can see, purity makes a huge difference. Getting an accurate assessment is the only way to know for sure what you have.
The Pitfall of Mail-In Services
Many sellers who turn to online mail-in services unfortunately only receive 40-70% of their gold’s actual value. For that same 3.5-gram crown, that could mean getting only $82 to $144 when it's worth much more. You can explore more about dental gold's worth to see exactly how these numbers break down.
The key takeaway is simple: your final payout depends heavily on who you sell to. While online services seem convenient, their processing fees, shipping costs, and overhead often lead to much lower offers.
When you're ready to sell, partnering with a local Gold and Jewelry Buying expert here in Boise ensures you get paid what your items are truly worth. We provide a transparent process with free Xray Scanning and Gold Testing to accurately determine your gold's purity and value right in front of you.
We make firm, hassle free offers and are confident enough to offer Price Matching, ensuring you receive the highest payout in Boise.
Why deal with the delays and uncertainty of mail-in services? Save the hassle and sell locally for more than online shipments. We provide immediate, fair compensation based on the true market value of your gold.
The Three Factors That Determine Dental Gold Value
Figuring out what gold teeth are worth isn't about finding a single price tag. The real value is a cocktail of three simple, but powerful, ingredients: purity, weight, and the live market price of gold. Once you get a handle on these, you’re in the driver's seat and can see exactly how a buyer builds their offer.
Think of it as a recipe. Each component is essential, and you can’t get an accurate final number without all three.
1. Purity: How Much Gold Is Actually There?
The single most important factor is the purity of the gold, which we measure in karats (K). Pure, 24K gold is incredibly soft—way too soft to handle the pressure of chewing day in and day out. To make it tough enough for dental work, goldsmiths mix it with other metals like silver, palladium, or copper. This creates a stronger material called an alloy.
That’s why you’ll never see a 24K gold tooth. Dental gold almost always falls into one of these common purity levels:
- 10K Gold: Contains 41.7% pure gold.
- 16K Gold: Contains 66.7% pure gold. This is a popular choice for dental work, hitting that sweet spot between durability and high precious metal content.
- 18K Gold: Contains 75.0% pure gold, which gives it a rich color and serious value.
The rule is simple: the higher the karat, the more pure gold is in the alloy, and the more your dental piece is worth. The first step to getting the best payout is knowing the exact karat. A professional Gold and Jewelry Buying expert will use specialized tools to nail this down.
If you want to go deeper on this, check out our guide on how to test gold purity.
2. Weight: The Foundation of Value
Once you know the purity, the next ingredient is weight. This part is completely straightforward—the heavier the piece, the more gold it holds. If you have two gold crowns made from the same 16K alloy, the larger, heavier one will naturally be worth more.
We measure weight in grams, and it's the baseline for the whole calculation. It's absolutely critical that the weighing happens on a calibrated, professional scale after any non-gold materials have been removed. We're talking about bits of porcelain or tooth fragments. This ensures you're getting paid for the precious metal you actually have, not the extra stuff attached to it.
3. Spot Price: The Live Market Rate
The final piece of the puzzle is the spot price of gold. This is the live, up-to-the-minute market price for one troy ounce of pure 24K gold. It’s constantly changing throughout the day based on global trading, and every reputable gold buyer uses it as the starting point for their offer.
Think of the spot price as the universal sticker price for gold. A buyer's final offer is simply a percentage of the total value we calculate using this live rate, your item's weight, and its precise purity.
Here at our Boise location, we offer free Xray Scanning and Gold Testing to confirm all these factors right in front of you. It’s a totally transparent process, so you can see exactly how we arrive at our hassle free offer. We’re so confident in our valuations that we even offer Price Matching to guarantee the highest payout in Boise.
Why go through the stress of shipping your valuables off to some unknown online buyer? You can save the hassle and sell locally for more than online shipments right here with us.
How to Calculate the Value of Your Gold Teeth
Alright, now that we've covered the key ingredients—purity, weight, and the daily spot price—let's put it all together. You can actually run a quick, back-of-the-napkin calculation to get a solid estimate of what your gold teeth are worth before you ever walk into a buyer's shop. A little bit of simple math here can make all the difference, so you know exactly what to expect.
The formula itself is pretty straightforward. You just need to multiply the weight of your gold by its purity, then multiply that number by the current spot price per gram.
Weight (grams) x Purity (%) x Spot Price Per Gram = Melt Value
This calculation gives you the "melt value." Think of it as the raw, baseline worth of the precious metal itself if it were melted down into a pure form. But hold on, that's not the final number. The most important factor is the buyer's payout rate—the percentage of that melt value they’ll actually offer you in cash.
A Step-by-Step Calculation Example
Let's walk through a real-world scenario to see this in action. The value of dental gold has always moved in lockstep with the daily gold markets. An 18-karat gold tooth that weighs about 3.5 grams, for instance, contains roughly 2.6 grams of pure gold. If the spot price is hovering around $75 per gram, the melt value for that tooth would be about $195 (2.6 grams × $75).
Here’s a different example, broken down into simple steps:
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Find the Spot Price: First things first, you need today's price of gold per gram. This number changes daily, sometimes hourly, so a quick online check is a must. To make it easy, you can always check our simple guide on the spot price for gold and silver. For this example, let's use a nice round number of $75 per gram for pure 24K gold.
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Determine Purity: Let's say we've tested your gold tooth and confirmed it's 16 Karat. That means it's made of 66.7% pure gold, with the rest being other alloys to make it durable enough for dental use.
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Weigh the Gold: After carefully removing any non-gold attachments like porcelain or tooth remnants, we put it on a calibrated scale. It weighs exactly 4 grams.
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Calculate the Melt Value:
- 4g (Weight) x 0.667 (Purity as a decimal) x $75 (Spot Price) = $200.10
The image below gives you a great visual of this simple three-step process for finding your gold's base value.
As you can see, figuring out the melt value isn't guesswork. It’s based on clear, verifiable data: purity, weight, and price.
The Most Important Step: The Payout Rate
That $200.10 represents the total market value of the gold in your item. But—and this is a big but—it’s not what you’ll be putting in your pocket. The final, critical step is understanding the buyer’s payout percentage. This is where choosing the right buyer makes a world of difference.
Online mail-in services are notorious for offering shockingly low payout rates, often somewhere between 40-70% of the actual melt value. A trusted local expert here in Boise, on the other hand, can offer significantly more, ensuring you get the absolute highest payout possible.
A local buyer cuts out the middlemen, insurance fees, and high overhead that come with online shipping kits. That’s why you can save the hassle and sell locally for more than online shipments. At Carat24, a trusted Gold and Jewelry Buying company, we provide free Xray Scanning and Gold Testing, make hassle free offers right on the spot, and even offer Price Matching to guarantee you're getting the best value for your items.
Payout Comparison Online vs Local Buyer
The difference in payout rates can be huge. Let's look at how much money you could be leaving on the table by choosing a low-payout online buyer versus a high-payout local expert for that same $200.10 piece of gold.
| Gold Melt Value | Online Buyer Payout (e.g., 50%) | Local Buyer Payout (e.g., 80%) | Your Extra Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| $200.10 | $100.05 | $160.08 | $60.03 |
Choosing a reputable local buyer with a higher payout percentage directly translates into more cash for you—in this case, an extra $60. It pays to know who you're selling to.
Why Selling Locally Beats Risky Online Mailers
Once you have a good idea of what your gold might be worth, the next big question is where to sell it. You’ve probably seen the ads for online mail-in services that promise convenience and high payouts. But behind the slick marketing, these services often come with a world of risks that can seriously eat into your final payment.
Selling your gold should feel secure and straightforward, not like sending your valuables into a void and just hoping for the best. That’s why a trusted local expert makes all the difference.
Think about the horror stories you hear with mail-in services: packages getting "lost in transit," agonizingly long waits for a lowball offer, and a confusing mess of hidden fees for shipping, insurance, and "processing." It’s a gamble.
The Local Advantage: Transparency and Trust
Walking into a local Gold and Jewelry Buying expert here in Boise is a completely different experience. It's refreshingly direct. Instead of waiting weeks for an answer, you get immediate, face-to-face service where you are in control from start to finish.
Imagine having your gold teeth evaluated right in front of you by a professional. No guesswork, no mystery.
The local selling process is built on a foundation of transparency. We use advanced tools like free Xray Scanning and Gold Testing to show you the exact purity and weight of your items. The offer you receive is based on precise, verifiable data you can see with your own eyes.
This kind of immediate, scientific verification removes all doubt. It empowers you as a seller because you know exactly what you have and what it’s worth based on live market prices. For a deeper dive, check out our guide on the best place to sell gold to see why this transparent process is so crucial.
Higher Payouts and Immediate Payment
Beyond just security and peace of mind, local buyers often provide the highest payout in Boise. It’s simple, really. Local shops don’t have massive national marketing budgets, complex shipping logistics, or the corporate overhead that forces online companies to shrink their offers.
Those savings get passed directly to you in the form of a better price.
When you sell to a reputable local buyer, you can expect:
- Hassle Free Offers: You’ll get a clear, straightforward offer with zero pressure to sell.
- Immediate Payment: If you like the offer, you walk out the door with cash in hand. No waiting for a check to clear.
- Price Matching: We're confident in our pricing and will often match any legitimate competitor’s offer.
In the end, the choice is pretty clear. You can roll the dice with an anonymous online service and risk delays and disappointing offers, or you can opt for a secure, profitable, and immediate transaction with an expert you can trust.
Save the hassle and sell locally for more than online shipments—it’s the smartest way to get the true value you deserve for your gold teeth.
Your Boise Gold Selling Experience Explained
When you’re trying to figure out what your gold teeth are worth, the actual selling process can feel a little intimidating. What really happens when you walk through the door? We believe the entire experience should be transparent, professional, and put you completely in control from start to finish. It’s not just about getting a check; it’s about knowing exactly where that number comes from.
From the moment you arrive at our Boise location, our goal is to make you feel comfortable and informed. One of our experts at our Gold and Jewelry Buying center will greet you and start the free Xray Scanning and Gold Testing process right there in front of you, making sure you’re part of every single step.
A Clear and Simple Process
We use a state-of-the-art XRF (X-ray fluorescence) scanner for our evaluations. Think of it as a high-tech scanner that can see right into the metal. It’s a completely non-invasive technology that tells us the precise purity and exact metal composition of your dental gold without leaving a single scratch. This is hands-down the most accurate way to confirm the karat value of your items.
Once we have the exact purity and weight, we calculate its total value based on the live market price of gold. At that point, we’ll present you with one of our hassle free offers. There’s absolutely no pressure to sell.
Your gold is part of a significant market. The global dental gold sector is a notable part of the broader precious metals industry, with projections estimating its value could reach $1.2 billion by 2025, driven largely by demand in regions like North America. You can explore additional insights on global dental gold trends on Goldmarket.fr.
Your Payout Guaranteed
We are a trusted local Gold and Jewelry Buying center, and our reputation is built on providing the highest payout in Boise. We’re so confident in our transparent pricing that we even offer Price Matching. If you happen to get a better legitimate offer somewhere else, we’ll match it. Our commitment is to make sure you always walk away with the best possible value for your dental gold.
The whole process is designed to be simple and empower you with information, much like how an expert would conduct a thorough evaluation for a piece of fine jewelry. For more on this, check out our guide to getting a professional jewelry appraisal near me.
If you accept our offer, you walk out with payment right then and there—no waiting, no uncertainty. Save the hassle and sell locally for more than online shipments.
Getting Your Gold Teeth Ready to Sell
A little bit of prep work can really pay off when you're looking to get the best possible offer for your gold teeth. Before you even head out to a buyer, taking a few minutes to inspect what you have can make a world of difference.
If you feel comfortable doing so, try to safely remove any remaining tooth or porcelain attached to the gold. Buyers are only interested in the precious metal, so a cleaner piece helps ensure the weight—and your payout—is accurate. But don't stress if you can't get it all off; a professional can easily handle that for you during the evaluation.
Maximizing Your Payout
To lock in the highest payout in Boise, it’s a smart move to round up any other unwanted gold items you might have lying around. Think broken chains, single earrings, or old rings that are just collecting dust. You can sell them all together with your dental gold.
Combining all your scrap gold into one larger sale often gets you a better overall rate from a buyer. A heavier total weight can sometimes unlock a higher percentage of the melt value, which puts more cash right back into your pocket.
The final step is the easiest one. Just bring everything down to a local Gold and Jewelry Buying expert for a completely free evaluation. With professional Xray Scanning and Gold Testing offered for free, you get a transparent, hassle free offer on the spot. If you want to learn more about spotting real precious metals yourself, check out our guide on how to identify fake gold.
We even offer Price Matching, so you can be confident you're getting the top dollar. Save the hassle and sell locally for more than online shipments—you'll get paid faster and avoid the risks of mailing your valuables.
Have More Questions About Selling Gold Teeth?
When you're thinking about selling dental gold, a few common questions usually pop up. Getting these details ironed out beforehand can help you feel confident you're making the right move and getting the best possible value.
Do I Need to Clean My Gold Teeth Before Selling?
Nope, you can leave that to us. There’s absolutely no need to sterilize or try to deep clean your dental gold before bringing it in.
A professional buyer handles the entire process, and that includes removing any non-precious materials attached. Our focus is purely on the gold's weight and purity, which we figure out with our free Xray Scanning and Gold Testing services.
Can I Sell a Gold Crown with Porcelain Still Attached?
Yes, absolutely. It's actually very common for gold crowns to be fused with porcelain (you might hear them called PFMs). While you could try to pry the porcelain off yourself, it’s much safer and easier to let an expert handle it.
We'll separate the materials for you to accurately weigh just the gold alloy. This ensures you get paid precisely for every bit of precious metal, and it's a standard part of our no-hassle free valuation process.
Is It Even Worth Selling Just One Gold Tooth?
Definitely. While bringing in a larger collection can sometimes get you a slightly better rate, a single gold tooth still has real value and is well worth selling.
We make fair, transparent offers on any amount of gold, big or small. Our promise is to offer the highest payout in Boise, and we back that up with our Price Matching guarantee, whether you have one crown or a handful.
Don't underestimate what a single piece might be worth. The process is fast, the evaluation is free, and you can walk out with cash in hand. It’s almost always a worthwhile stop.
Remember, you can save the hassle and sell locally for more than online shipments. Skip the risks that come with mail-in kits and get a secure, face-to-face valuation with an immediate cash offer right here in Boise.
Ready to see what your gold is really worth? Visit us at Carat 24 - Trusted Gold Experts for a free, no-obligation evaluation and walk out with the highest payout, guaranteed. Learn more and get your offer today at Carat24Boise.com.
