Do Teeth Burn During Cremation? What Happens to Them

Teeth do not burn away the way soft tissue does. They are mineral, like bone, so they survive cremation as fragments, which are then ground up with the bone during processing. You will not get recognizable teeth back, and the cremated remains you receive are mostly calcium phosphates from bone and teeth, not ash from burned wood.

What do teeth do in the cremation chamber?

Flame cremation usually runs between 1,400 and 1,600°F, according to the Cremation Association of North America (CANA). Soft tissue is consumed. What remains is mineral, and teeth are part of it.

Laboratory studies on extracted teeth show the pattern. In a scanning electron microscope study, enamel showed surface crazing at 200°C, more cracking by 400°C, a chequered look at 600°C, and was still recognizable at 1,000°C (1,832°F), keeping its typical prism structure. The softer tissue beneath changed more: at 1,000°C the dentine appeared covered in granules with a molten look, and the root cementum could no longer be identified.

In plain terms, the outer enamel is tough, but it cracks and breaks apart, and the tooth does not come out whole. Lab conditions are not the same as a crematory, so treat these numbers as a guide rather than a prediction for any one person.

Do teeth explode or pop?

No. The published lab studies on heated teeth report crazing and cracking as the temperature rises. Teeth crack under heat, which is different from an explosion. Any fragments that remain are processed with the rest of the bone.

Where do the teeth end up?

After cremation, the remains are cooled and inspected, and metal is separated out. CANA says a processor, a machine with blades, then pulverizes the bone fragments until they are less than 1/8 inch. Teeth and bone are not sorted apart, so any tooth fragments end up mixed into what you receive.

CANA describes cremated remains as consisting of calcium phosphates with some minor minerals, white to gray in color. The average weight of adult remains is between 4 and 6 pounds. See what happens during cremation for the full process.

What happens to fillings, crowns and implants?

Dental materials react to heat differently.

Sources: a 2016 laboratory study on restorations (amalgam, composite and glass ionomer only), a 2014 study of incinerated teeth (including ceramic crowns) and a 2023 study on dental implants, which states that gold can melt or distort. The labs heated samples to as high as 1000°C (1,832°F), hotter than the usual cremation range, and none used a working crematory.

After cremation, CANA says metal from implants, dental fillings, casket handles or jewelry is separated from the remains before they are processed, and recycled. For gold in particular, see gold teeth and cremation.

Can you keep a tooth or dental work?

Only if it is removed before cremation. That takes permission from the person with authority over the body, a dentist or oral surgeon, and a provider that will allow the time. Funeral staff are not dentists, so ask early, when you first arrange the cremation. If keeping a tooth matters to your family, say so on the first call.

If the aim is a keepsake that holds some of the remains, cremation jewelry and urns for sharing ashes are an option, since a small amount of remains can go into a keepsake.

Can DNA be recovered from cremated remains?

This is a different question from what happens to teeth, and the answer is covered in our guide on DNA and cremation ashes. If a DNA sample matters to your family, raise it with the funeral home before cremation.

Do water cremation and burial change any of this?

• Water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis). CANA says it uses temperatures of 199 to 302°F and produces bone fragments. Because the heat is far lower than in flame cremation, teeth and dental work are not exposed to the same temperatures. See aquamation vs cremation.
• Burial. Teeth and dental work stay with the body.

What to do next

1. If you want a tooth or dental work kept, tell the funeral home before cremation.
2. Ask the crematory for its metal recycling policy in writing.
3. If you are choosing between methods, compare them in our cremation vs traditional funeral guide.