Gold Teeth and Cremation: What Happens and Your Options

In flame cremation, gold teeth do not come back as teeth. The heat in the chamber can melt or distort dental gold, and any metal that is recovered is separated from the remains and usually recycled. If your family wants the gold, it has to be removed before cremation, which means planning ahead and asking the provider how it handles metal.

What happens to gold teeth during cremation?

Flame cremation runs at roughly 1,400 to 1,600°F, according to the Cremation Association of North America (CANA). A 2023 laboratory study of dental implants, in which models were heated to temperatures up to 1000°C (1,832°F), states that conventional dental materials, including amalgam, composite and gold, can melt or distort, while titanium implants stayed intact. Lab conditions differ from a working crematory, so treat this as a guide.

So a gold crown that goes into the chamber does not come out as a crown. It may melt, change shape or fuse to bone fragments. Once the remains are processed, anything that has fused to bone may not be separable again.

What does the crematory do with recovered metal?

After cremation, the remains are cooled and inspected. CANA says there may be pieces of metal in the remains from surgical implants like hip replacements, dental fillings, casket handles or jewelry that was not removed, and that the metal is separated from the remains before they are processed. CANA's process page adds that this metal is recycled.

Where the money from recycling goes is up to each crematory. Policies differ, and you should not assume proceeds are donated or kept. CANA's questions for choosing a provider include asking what the provider's policy is on disposing of or recycling prosthetics such as artificial hips and knees. The same question works for dental metal.

Can you get gold teeth back?

After cremation, not reliably. Before cremation, sometimes, if you plan it.

Removal has to happen while the body is still in the care of the funeral home. It needs:

• Permission from the person with legal authority over the body.
• A dentist or oral surgeon willing to do it. Funeral staff are not dentists, and many will not do extractions themselves.
• A provider that will hold the body for the time it takes.
• Payment. Fees vary. Ask the dentist for a quote before you decide.

Start the conversation when you first arrange the cremation, not after the body has gone to the crematory. See our guide to what direct cremation includes if you want to know what a basic arrangement covers and what is an add-on.

Don't try to remove teeth yourself. It should be done by a licensed professional.

Is it worth removing gold teeth first?

It is a personal call, and there are two separate questions: money and meaning.

Money. The value of dental gold depends on how much there is, how pure it is and the price of gold on the day you sell it. Dental gold is usually an alloy rather than pure gold, so a crown's weight overstates what the gold is worth. A dentist or a refiner can tell you what a particular piece contains. For a single crown, the professional fee may be larger than the metal's worth.

Meaning. Some families want a crown or a tooth as a keepsake, and that is reason enough. If so, say so early.

If the person left instructions about their body or their dental work, follow them and make sure the provider has a copy.

Are funeral homes "stealing" gold?

You are entitled to ask what happens to recovered metal, and a good provider will tell you plainly. Recovering metal is a routine part of how crematories operate, and CANA's published process says it is separated and recycled. The practical issue for families is often that nobody explained it, so the question to ask is what the policy is.

If a provider will not tell you what it does with recovered metal, that is a reason to choose another one. If you believe a provider has mishandled remains or property, contact your state's funeral board. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, a funeral home must give you a General Price List, which is a good place to start when comparing providers. See the General Price List guide.

Do gold teeth survive other types of disposition?

• Burial. Gold work stays with the body.
• Water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis). CANA says the process runs at 199 to 302°F, far below flame cremation, so metal work is not melted the way it can be in flame cremation. CANA lists 26 states where it is legal as of March 2026. See aquamation vs cremation.
• Whole-body donation. Programs differ in what they return and when, so ask the program directly. See body donation programs.

What to do next

1. Decide early whether you want any dental work or gold teeth returned.
2. If yes, ask the funeral home now whether it will allow removal by a dentist or oral surgeon and how much time it needs.
3. Ask every provider for its metal recycling policy in writing.
4. Keep the answer with the cremation paperwork, and tell the person who signs the authorization.

If you're thinking about what else is in the remains, see do teeth burn during cremation and what happens during cremation.