Many dental professionals work with sub-par scrap buyers simply out of habit. With everything involved in running a busy dental practice or lab, comparing refiners probably isn’t at the top of your to-do list. But if your current refiner isn’t maximizing the value of your precious metals, switching could be much easier (and more profitable) than you think. Here’s how to change dental scrap buyers without wasting time or money.
How Do I Know When it’s Time to Switch?
If your current scrap buyer doesn’t refine in-house, only pays for gold, or doesn’t provide assay reports, it’s time to reconsider your options. Buyers that don’t refine the material themselves act as middlemen between your practice and a precious metals refinery. And because they need to cover their own costs and profit margins, the amount you receive is often lower than it could be.
Plus, many of these buyers only pay for the gold content in dental scrap, overlooking other valuable precious metals like palladium, platinum, and/or silver. Since palladium is commonly found in crowns, bridges, and PFMs, failing to account for it can significantly reduce your payout.
What Your Current Buyer’s Check Might Be Missing
Many middleman buyers provide a lump sum check, leaving no transparency as to how your dental scrap was valued. A professional precious metals refinery, however, will provide a detailed assay report with every payment.
At Garfield Refining, for example, an assay report for a shipment containing dental crowns and bridges shows the spot price, quantity, and value of each precious metal recovered – including gold, silver, platinum and palladium – along with the total payout.
Switching Dental Scrap Buyers: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Request a Free Refining Kit
A reputable refinery will send you a prepaid, fully-insured shipping kit at zero cost to you. At Garfield Refining, our Black Box Program delivers everything you need to safely package and ship your material. We offer collection containers in a variety of sizes – from 6-ounce jars to 30-gallon drums – to accommodate practices and labs of any size. We’ll send you a prepaid FedEx or UPS shipping label, insured up to $75,000.
Step 2: Pack and Ship Your Current Scrap Collection
Any scrap that you’ve already collected can be refined with your new partner: crowns, bridges, PFMs, inlays, onlays, sprues, buttons – you name it. There’s no need to sort by metal type. Just package your scrap, seal it, and send it off with the prepaid label.
Step 3: Your Shipment Arrives
When you work with a trusted refiner like Garfield, the process is simple and transparent. No follow-up calls, no chasing down your payment, and no wondering whether you received full value for your precious metals. Here’s what you can expect:
- – A confirmation email when your shipment arrives
- – Your material is melted, assayed, and refined in-house
- – Payment within 1-2 business days, with your choice of check, ACH direct deposit, wire transfer, or bullion exchange
- – A detailed assay report showing exactly how your payout was calculated
Step 4: Set Up Ongoing Collection
When you work with Garfield, scrap refining becomes practically effortless. With our Black Box Program, new shipping kits are automatically sent at intervals that fit your practice or lab’s needs. Simply fill your container, send it back when it’s full, and we’ll replace it with a new one.
With a recurring collection program in place, your practice can generate consistent income from dental scrap without having to think about it.
What to Look for in a Refiner
Not all refiners are created equal. Before making the switch, consider these key factors to ensure you’re choosing a partner who will maximize the value of your dental scrap.
Payout transparency: Can your refiner tell you, before you ship anything, what percentage of melt value they typically return for common dental scrap materials? A competitive refiner should provide this information upfront so you know what to expect.
All-metals processing: Confirm the refiner recovers gold, silver, platinum, and palladium from your scrap, not just gold. Dental scrap can contain significant amounts of valuable white precious metals that some buyers may overlook or fail to include in your payout.
Free, insured shipping: Shipping logistics are often your first impression of a refiner. If a collection kit takes weeks to arrive, lacks insurance documentation, or comes without clear instructions, it may be a red flag. A reputable refiner will provide a prepaid shipping kit with clear packaging instructions, shipment tracking through trusted carriers like FedEx or UPS, and insurance coverage to protect the value of your material in transit. At Garfield, every shipment is fully insured for up to $75,000.
Return policy: If you’re not satisfied with your payout offer, what happens next? A trustworthy refiner will have a clear return policy. Garfield’s 24K Guarantee ensures risk-free refining: if you’re not satisfied with your offer, we’ll return your material to you in processed form, no questions asked.
Personality: A refinery’s online presence should indicate that there’s a real team of people behind it. Photos of the staff on the company’s social media accounts are always a green flag.
Track record: Look for a strong history of positive reviews, industry recognition, and third-party credibility. Garfield Refining has been named “Best Refiner” by Dentaltown Magazine for 15 consecutive years, maintains an A+ BBB rating, and has earned hundreds of Google reviews with an almost-perfect rating!
FAQs
Do I need to notify my current refiner that I’m switching?
No. You have no obligation to formally close an account or provide notice. Simply stop sending to your old refiner and start sending to your new one. Most dental refining relationships don’t involve binding contracts – but if you believe you have a contractual obligation, review the agreement or consult the company directly. In most cases, there’s no legal commitment.
What if my current jar has very little in it?
Send it anyway. There’s no minimum. You’ll receive a payout on whatever you ship, and you’ll have a clean starting point with your new refiner.
Will my staff need training to collect and ship dental scrap?
No. Professional refiners provide simple instructions and ongoing support. Packaging dental scrap typically takes just a few minutes, and you’ll always have access to a dedicated Account Manager who can answer any questions throughout the process.
Ready to See the Garfield Difference?
Garfield has been a trusted leader in refining since 1892. We proudly serve dental professionals across the United States, Canada, and Australia – from solo practices and small groups to DSOs and dental laboratories. Built on generations of expertise, our streamlined process and dedicated team make the refining experience simple and rewarding.
Ready to get started? Request your free shipping kit online or call us at 800-523-0968. Our team is available Monday through Friday, 8:00am-4:00pm EST, and would be happy to answer any questions!
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.