Dental Gold Assay Process
From the moment your package arrives to the moment payment is issued—every step, with real numbers.
The most common reason dental practices hesitate to mail in scrap gold isn't concern about the shipping — it's not knowing what happens on the other end. What does it actually mean to assay dental gold? How do you price a crown you've never seen? How do I know the number you give me is real?
Those are fair questions, and we should be able to answer them precisely. Many buyers provide only a final offer without clearly explaining the testing method or payout calculation. We take a different approach by documenting the process and showing the math behind the offer.
Unlike many buyers who provide only a final offer, Dental Gold Experts documents the complete melt-and-assay process, provides a written payout calculation, and bases every offer on the recoverable gold determined by assay rather than appearance alone.
This page walks through every step we take from receipt to payment, including a real worked example with actual math. If you've ever wondered exactly how we assay dental gold and turn it into a verified payout, this is the full picture.
Quick Answer
We use an 8-step process to assay dental gold: receive your prepaid USPS package, sort the material, weigh the prepared material, melt it, and analyze the melted sample by XRF to determine its gold content. Your written offer is calculated from the post-melt weight, assay purity, and the gold spot price shown in your written report. Payment is issued within 24 hours after you accept your written offer, usually immediately, by Zelle, PayPal, check, or ACH bank transfer.
This sequence applies to every dental gold submission regardless of size — whether you're sending three crowns from a single extraction or a year's worth of lab scrap. The steps don't change; only the volume does.
Your prepaid USPS package is received at Dental Gold Experts.
We sort your material, and non-metal material is removed as part of the melting process.
The prepared material is documented before melting. Final settlement is based on the post-melt weight and assay result.
The dental material is melted into a homogeneous sample. This step is necessary to produce an accurate assay. Dental gold must be melted for an accurate assay and cannot be returned in its original form after processing.
Blake analyzes the melted sample by XRF to determine its gold content. This is the figure your written offer is based on. See the full XRF explainer below.
The formula is straightforward: recovered gold weight × the gold spot price shown in your written report × applicable payout rate = your written offer. We show the math in your written report.
You receive a written report showing the gold content and your written offer.
Payment is issued within 24 hours after you accept the written offer for your dental gold, usually immediately, by Zelle, PayPal, check, or ACH bank transfer.
Blake Plummer — Dental Gold Experts
I spent years watching clients at the gold-buying counter accept offers they shouldn't have — not because they were naive, but because they had no way to check the number. Transparency isn't just an ethical choice in this business; it's the only sustainable model. If I can't show you exactly how I arrived at your dental gold number, you have no reason to trust it.
XRF works by directing a beam of X-rays at a dental gold sample. Different elements in the sample emit secondary X-rays (fluorescence) at characteristic energy levels, which a detector reads. XRF itself does not alter the sample, and results appear in seconds.
At Dental Gold Experts, XRF is used after melting: Blake melts your material and then analyzes the melted material by XRF to determine its gold content. That result is the gold content your written offer is based on.
Two common testing methods — acid testing and electronic gold testers — are designed for jewelry-grade alloys, which are standardized at 10K, 14K, 18K, and 24K. Dental gold alloys are formulated differently, which limits how reliable these methods are when applied to dental material.
| Method | Best Use | Limitation | Final Settlement Method? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Inspection | Quick initial look | Cannot determine gold purity or content | ✗ No |
| Acid Test | Rough surface check | Estimates surface purity only; unreliable on dental alloys | ✗ No |
| Electronic Jewelry Tester | Jewelry-grade gold | Calibrated for standard karats; unreliable on dental alloys | ✗ No |
| Melt, then XRF analysis of the melted sample | Determining actual gold content | Requires melting the material | ✓ Yes — used by Dental Gold Experts |
Here's an illustrative look at how a small dental gold submission gets calculated. All figures use an illustrative gold spot price — your actual offer uses the gold spot price shown in your written report.
Illustrative example only. Actual results depend on post-melt weight, assay purity, the gold spot price shown in your written report, and the payout rate shown in the same report. Use our dental gold calculator for a current estimate.
Every dental gold submission receives a written report. Below is an illustrative sample — anonymized — of the format you'll receive.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Post-Melt Weight | 7.2 g |
| Assay Result | 72% gold |
| Pure Gold Recovered | 5.18 g (0.1666 troy oz) |
| Gross Value of Recovered Gold | $516.46 |
| Payout Rate | [Shown on your report] |
Illustrative only. Actual payout is based on post-melt weight, assay purity, the gold spot price shown in your written report, and the payout rate shown in the same report.
Blake Plummer — Dental Gold Experts
I've seen dental gold assay reports from other buyers that list a single line item: "dental scrap — X grams — $Y." A complete assay report should clearly show the post-melt weight, assay result, and payout calculation. That level of transparency helps you understand exactly how your written offer was calculated."
| Factor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Post-melt weight | The weight of the homogeneous metal sample after melting is used together with the assay result to calculate the recoverable gold content. |
| Gold purity from assay | The assay determines the percentage of the melted sample that is recoverable gold. |
| Gold spot price | The gold spot price shown in your written report sets the baseline value of the recovered gold. |
| Payout rate | The payout rate shown in your written report is applied to the value of the recovered gold. |
| Non-metal material | Attached tooth structure, porcelain, and cement do not contribute to the gold value; that material is removed as part of the melting process. |
Why color alone is not enough: A yellow appearance does not reveal the exact gold purity of a dental restoration. Two crowns that look similar can assay very differently. That is why the final offer is based on the melted sample and assay result rather than appearance alone.
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Founded by Blake Plummer, a Gold Buying Expert with more than 15 years of experience buying, evaluating, and refining precious metals.
Houston, Texas Based · Serving Dental Practices Nationwide
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