Are you a dentist, dental assistant, or dental lab tech who works with precious metal alloys? Scrap metal refining is often an afterthought in the dental field – doctors, staff members and lab techs are busy enough with patient care and business operations. But establishing an efficient scrap recycling program with a trusted refiner is a great way to add extra revenue to your bottom line, not to mention an eco-friendly business practice!
Dental crowns, bridges, PFMs and other scrap materials are often alloyed with valuable precious metals like gold, silver, platinum and palladium. Even just a small amount of scrap can hold significant value, especially with today’s gold prices (over $3,000 per ounce)!
Metal prices have hit record highs lately – but regardless of the market, it’s always important to get the highest possible payment for your dental scrap. Choosing a reputable precious metals refinery is essential to maximizing the value of your metals.
Your Dental Scrap is Unique
Not all precious metal dental scrap is created equal. In fact, the composition and value of your extracted crown, bridge, and PFM materials can vary widely. High noble alloys contain much more gold than other types of metal crowns. Plus, many types of dental scrap contain more than one precious metal – gold is often alloyed with silver, platinum and/or palladium.
Refineries Vs. Other Gold Buyers
Dental scrap is highly sought after by cash buyers who are willing to pay for the material on the spot. But third-party, non-refinery gold buyers are simply not able to offer full value for your dental scrap, as they don’t have the resources to properly assay (aka test) the material and provide an accurate valuation. After all, precious metal alloys can’t be melted down and tested on the go – refining requires specific equipment and expertise!
Simply put, non-refinery gold buyers serve as middlemen who will eventually sell your scrap to a refinery in order to get paid. And because they need to resell your scrap to obtain any value, they will underpay you – sometimes cents on the dollar – in order to protect their own margins.
The Problem with “Weigh and Pay”
The “weigh and pay” method is common among gold buyers – they quickly weigh your scrap and make a rough value estimate before making an offer. However, this approach doesn’t account for the precise metal composition, meaning you could miss out on the full value. If your scrap contains both gold and platinum, you deserve payment for both – not just one!
The “pay per crown” method is another common approach used by dental scrap buyers. This too is problematic, as dental crowns range widely in value depending on the alloy composition.
The Acid Test
Some cash buyers like to carry acid test kits to “test” your scrap before making an offer. Don’t be fooled! While the acid test is an accurate way to confirm whether or not gold is present, it does not quantify how much gold the scrap contains. If you already know that your scrap contains gold, this is pointless.
Melt and Assay
Accurate assaying is fundamental to refining. It precisely identifies the precious metals within an alloy, ensuring that purity is not underestimated. Garfield Refining, for example, uses several different methods for our assays, including the classic fire assay and x-ray fluorescence. Our expert team determines the most appropriate method for each shipment we receive to guarantee accuracy, speed, and maximum returns for our customers.
Make sure to choose a refinery that prioritizes transparency when processing your material. At Garfield, we always provide a detailed assay report outlining the precise breakdown of each metal in your scrap. Once the assay process is complete, we calculate your payment based on the current market prices for gold and other precious metals.
Garfield: The Top Choice for Leading Dentists
While we proudly serve a variety of industries, dental refining is where we shine. Garfield has been voted ‘Best Scrap Refiner’ by Dentaltown Magazine for the past 14 years straight! Our state-of-the-art refining technology, perfected over generations, ensures the highest possible payouts. But beyond that, it’s our award-winning service that keeps clients coming back.
As a third-generation, family-owned business with over a century of expertise, we’ve evolved with the times while preserving our commitment to personalized service. When you refine with Garfield, a dedicated account manager will guide you through every step, ensuring a seamless experience from start to finish!
If you’re ready to sell your precious metals, Download a free shipping label to get started with Garfield today!
Written by
Allie BowmanAllie Bowman is the Content Lead at Garfield Refining, where she translates more than 130 years of precious metals expertise into clear, accurate, and practical content for individual sellers, dental professionals, jewelers, and collectors. A Dean's List graduate of the University of Delaware's Media Communication program, Allie has built her career around making complex subjects accessible to a broad audience. Her experience spans nutrition science, lifestyle magazine publishing, and precious metals refining, giving her a unique ability to transform technical information into engaging, trustworthy content. At Garfield, Allie brings editorial rigor and subject-matter expertise to every piece she produces. She works closely with Garfield's refining specialists and senior leadership to ensure that technical topics - from karat markings and assay methods to precious metals markets and spot price mechanics - are explained with both accuracy and clarity. Since joining Garfield's marketing team, Allie has written extensively on precious metals refining, dental scrap recovery, gold and silver bullion, estate and inherited jewelry, and industry-specific topics for dental and jewelry professionals. All content is reviewed by Garfield's leadership team prior to publication, ensuring it reflects the company's standards for accuracy, transparency, and industry expertise.
Reviewed by
Morgan KerrisseyMorgan Kerrissey is the President of Garfield Refining, one of North America's most longstanding and trusted precious metals refineries. For over two decades, Morgan has built his career at the intersection of commodities markets, metallurgy, and precious metals — earning a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable voices in the refining industry. Morgan joined Garfield in 2008, bringing rigorous operational discipline to a company built on exacting standards since 1892. Named President in 2014, he has guided Garfield through volatile gold, silver, and palladium markets, while modernizing its workforce and technologies and diversifying its metal supply chains. Under his leadership, Garfield has expanded its refining capabilities across the full lifecycle of precious metals recovery, entered new markets, and expanded services while maintaining the same customer forward approach that has made Garfield a mainstay for more than a century. From hedging strategy to daily refinery operations, Morgan commands high levels of technical depth and market fluency. Morgan grew up outside Boston, graduated from Harvard University, and has lived with his family in Philadelphia, PA for almost 20 years.