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The price of gold goes up and down like a roller coaster. Let's say it's at $800 per ounce. (has been higher, has been lower) The amount of gold in a tooth depends on the size of the filling, etc. It would only be a small fraction of an ounce. There is difference in the type of alloy used and you would have to figure in the cost of melting down and extracting the gold from the other metal.
So, the best guess would be....What?
All I could find was a news article on Fox from April 2008, and the resale values mentioned ranged from negligible (for fillings & crowns with an insignificant amount of gold) up to $40-$50 for a crown with .1 oz of 16k. There was an accompanying photo of a jeweler holding a tooth with a small gold crown that he estimated was worth $15.
This was back when the price of gold hovered at $1000 an ounce.
My father once told me of his final wishes, that he wanted all of his gold fillings extracted and did not want the funeral home to get them. Years later when he died, I remembered this when my mom was going through the cremation contract with the funeral home but she was upset enough and I didn't bring it up. The contract specifically mentioned that gold fillings would not be returned. I attended the entire cremation procedure, and after the ashes had cooled and the technician had cleaned out the chamber, I told the technician of my father's wishes and asked him about the gold. He told me it all would have vaporized. I doubted this (indeed, the vaporization point of gold is over 2000 degrees C, not F). He then ran the bone fragments and cremains through a grinder and separator (to separate bits of metal) from the cremains. I distinctly heard metal fragments bouncing around on the separator screen but the technician told me those were the metal snaps from his hospital gown and I didn't press the issue.
I still feel like I failed my father's wishes, but found myself unable to assert myself at the time. Some cremation information websites do mention that crematoriums often ask the family if they want any gold returned to them. I really feel like, in our case, the funeral home (or at least the technician) did scavenge the gold.
Both my parents were cremated, at their request, and their ashes scattered, so whether they were buried with their teeth or not is irrelevant. They both thought that funerals were a waste of money and visiting cemeteries a waste of time. Both had great wakes, however.
I guess it depends on how you were raised.
We , also, believe as your parents did. I've made provisions to have all my gold teeth removed (I have a mouth full of gold) and sold with the proceeds going into the estate. Why let the Undertaker or the crematory have this gold?
When the current population in their 30’s approaches the end of the line, this same issue will probably be brought up about tattoos.
Some of them would make really nice lamp shades or window hangings.
I seriously doubt that the skinning of humans to recover tattoo's is going become big business any time soon. In fact I believe that the skinning of humans is a crime.
People who would do this or would want anything to do with this are just ghouls and sick people that belong in a rubber room.
Yes, they are a terrible waste of money at a time when loved ones don't need the worry or the grief of a money sucking mortician feeding on the estate those left behind need.
We plan to be cremated with our knee implants donated to a medical school and my gold teeth sold to recover the money in them.
Make no mistake any valuables left on/in the body after viewing the body will be removed and sold by the mortician since once the casket is closed no one will be the wiser.
That is sad that you feel that way about morticians and funeral homes.
I work in an 80 year old family owned funeral home. we NEVER take from
families of deceased. Maybe you are one of the families that won't even bring in grama's underwear or bra, or socks...many a time I go and buy new underwear, socks, bra's t shirts, you name it, just so we CAN bury your loved one with diginity. Do you know how cold it looks like when the person is in the casket without ANY socks or nylons??? I always make sure our deceased are treated with respect. We are very ethical people, and we get real bills just
like you do. There may be very few of us "ethical" funeral homes left, but
we are out there. Believe me we are not rich either. I get the bills and I pay
the bills, and none of us are "upper class" for sure. Have you ever thought how much insurance we have to have to harbor dead bodies? Or cremate a human body? Have you ever thought how much the gas costs or the upkeep of the equipment and licensing and schooling and continueing education so we can keep up with the baby boomers..did you ever stop to think it all COSTS us??I hope (and god forbid but it will)
the next time you experience a loss, you get treated with the respect, kindness
and compassion that some of us funeral home do give.
Karen
That is sad that you feel that way about morticians and funeral homes.
I work in an 80 year old family owned funeral home. we NEVER take from
families of deceased. Maybe you are one of the families that won't even bring in grama's underwear or bra, or socks...many a time I go and buy new underwear, socks, bra's t shirts, you name it, just so we CAN bury your loved one with diginity. Do you know how cold it looks like when the person is in the casket without ANY socks or nylons??? I always make sure our deceased are treated with respect. We are very ethical people, and we get real bills just
like you do. There may be very few of us "ethical" funeral homes left, but
we are out there. Believe me we are not rich either. I get the bills and I pay
the bills, and none of us are "upper class" for sure. Have you ever thought how much insurance we have to have to harbor dead bodies? Or cremate a human body? Have you ever thought how much the gas costs or the upkeep of the equipment and licensing and schooling and continueing education so we can keep up with the baby boomers..did you ever stop to think it all COSTS us??I hope (and god forbid but it will)
the next time you experience a loss, you get treated with the respect, kindness
and compassion that some of us funeral home do give.
Karen
By the way-the medical schools really don't want your "implants" and what we do is
donate them, they melt them down and they go to needy people for new implants.
Please document what karat your gold teeth are too, and please ask your dentist if
he will remove them after you have passed, because most dentists refuse. Check how much
karat your gold cap is acutally, take off the dentist fees (because I know our mortician would
never want to go as far as pull a gold tooth, really) and refining fees, and your probably not
left with much. Just for your info.
karen
Wow after reading all these posts I cannot believe how hateful people are to funeral homes.
I work there pretty much 24-7. I see and hear it all. There are funeral directors and morticians who are very ethical out there believe me. I am now leaving this forum, it makes me sick. You call us
when you don't want your dead loved one smelling up your house, we have no choice now do we??
really??? I have never in my and my husband (who is a retired mortician) 32 year career EVER refuse
someone when they wanted us to come get the "body" . Then no one wants to pay. Then you all think it is a community service. Then you want a visitation of a mangled deceased like NOW even tho it is 3 am in the morning. we do it. and we do it because we love our community and our fellow man. and to see you all trash morticians it makes me sick. by the way...we do not like to stick our hands into your mouth once your dead, really, it makes us kinda sick too. we don't care about the gold, we cremate and process at least 5 bodies a week, and NEVER do I find gold caps never....
if you only knew. all the metal implants like hips and knees get donated for the needy. It goes
to a refinery to get melted down, and made into new ones. they pay the shipping. this is new, usually in the older days of funeral service we have one plot that we have that we bury the
metal from cremated remains. if the family requests it, that is all the better, we are more than happy to give it to them...
I seriously doubt that the skinning of humans to recover tattoo's is going become big business any time soon. In fact I believe that the skinning of humans is a crime.
People who would do this or would want anything to do with this are just ghouls and sick people that belong in a rubber room.
But yanking the fillings out of dear ol' mom's corpse ....for the small amount of dough that it is going to get you is not! That's different?...why, cause you make a little change of this ghouish proceeding.
Wow! What an eye opener! I would never even think of such a thing but we just lost my mom this year, even though she was cremated, the whole process was handled so well and we had over 300 at her memorial service - we all wore lavender (her favorite color) but followed her wishes to the letter.
In my business, I have just dealt with a family that has owned a funeral home, actually 3 of them (in the family for 106 years) - they have been one of the most caring and sensitive clients I have dealt with.
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My Father's Final Wishes on Gold Fillings
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