The Value of Gruesome Gold

The Value of Gruesome Gold: What Happens to Gold Teeth After Cremation?

“Can you take it with you?” — in this case, apparently yes, but not in the way you might think.

Every now and then, the question arises — what happens to the gold in someone’s teeth after cremation?
It’s one of those slightly ghoulish curiosities that most people think about but few dare ask. Yet, with rising gold prices and the growing interest in what really happens after cremation, it’s a question worth exploring.

So, What Does Happen to Dental Gold?

According to funeral directors interviewed by the Citizen Times in Asheville, USA, the answer is simple: not much.

“Most funeral homes won’t remove gold teeth,” said Carl Boldt, a funeral director with Asheville Area Alternative Funeral & Cremation Services. “The gold in someone’s mouth is not worth as much as people think, and it’s not worth the cost to hire an oral surgeon to remove it.”

If families do want the gold removed, they must arrange it before the cremation, using a dentist or oral surgeon. Most funeral directors — understandably — want nothing to do with dental extractions.

Is Dental Gold Really Valuable?

The idea of “funeral gold” conjures up visions of hidden treasure, but the reality is far less lucrative.

• Dental alloys are rarely pure. Gold used in crowns or fillings typically ranges from 10 to 22 karats, often mixed with other metals for strength. (Animated Teeth)

• Even a full mouth of gold fillings might only be worth a few hundred pounds — and that’s before the cost (and ethical awkwardness) of removal.

In short, it’s rarely worth the effort, and most families find the idea uncomfortable anyway.

In the UK What Happens During Cremation?

Cremation takes place at temperatures around 1,400 – 1,800 °C (2,500 – 3,200 °F).
Gold melts at about 1,064 °C (1,947 °F) — so technically, it could survive the process, depending on the alloy and position.

However, bones, ceramics and metal fittings are mechanically processed after burning. By the time the remains are reduced to ashes, any surviving gold is likely to have melted, dispersed, or fused into other material

Unlike orthopedic implants (knees and hips etc), gold isn’t magnetic, so it can’t be recovered with magnets used for larger metal remnants such as titanium hip joints or surgical screws.

What About Recycling?

Modern crematoria in the UK are increasingly involved in the ICCM Metal Recycling Scheme, operated in partnership with Orthometals.
This scheme ethically recycles metals that remain after cremation — mainly orthopaedic implants, plus some gold — and donates the proceeds to charity.

As of early 2025:

• The scheme has raised over £22 million for UK charities.

• Around 198 crematoria participate across the country. (ICCM update, Feb 2025)

So while your loved one’s gold fillings, their hip replacement might just help fund a local hospice or bereavement charity — a quiet, dignified kind of legacy.

And in Other Countries?

Interestingly, in Japan, where cremation is almost universal, the recovery of precious metals (including dental gold) is far more organised. Crematoria often separate metallic residues post-cremation, and in some municipalities the proceeds from recovered gold are channelled into local welfare funds.
It’s seen as part of a social good — not a ghoulish act — reflecting Japan’s practical and collective approach to memorial culture.

The Gruesome Gold Myth

Funeral folklore loves to exaggerate the hidden riches of the cremator.
The truth is far less sensational:

• No one’s getting rich off gold teeth.

• It get recovered for recycling

• The money goes to charity.

Still, the fascination persists — perhaps because it sits at the uneasy intersection of mortality, money and morality.

Final Thoughts

So yes, you can take it with you — just not in the way anyone profits from.
The “value” of dental gold isn’t in its market price but in what it tells us about how societies handle the physical traces of the dead: balancing respect, practicality, and, sometimes, ingenuity.