Dental scrap refining – How to find the best dental refiner
First of all, before talking about dental scrap refining and how to choose the best dental scrap refiner, if you are not sure about what dental scrap is, you might be interested in checking out this article where we cover the subject.
Dental scrap refining is basically the process of melting the precious metals that are part of dental scrap to separate them from the other non-valuable elements. In this way, they can be recovered and reused, or resold to gain a profit.
In this case, a dental refiner is nothing more than a precious metal refiner that is specialized in dental scrap refining. For example, Core Scientific is the best dental scrap refiner in North America, we are a precious metal refinery but specialized in dental scrap refining having a dedicated team for the industry and an in-house laboratory.
Type of dental scrap to send to a dental refiner:
- Porcelain fused to metal
- Porcelain fused to gold
- Extractions with inlays and onlays
- Precious metal crowns and bridges
- Yellow gold partials
- Buttons, wire, clasps
Dental scrap that is not accepted: amalgam pellets (contain mercury), traps, x-ray backing (lead), separators, partials (non-precious alloy), instruments, non-metallic scrap.
If your dental scrap isn’t on this list and you are not sure if it can be recycled, don’t worry. You can send it anyway, and our professionals will examine it and determine its value.
First, dental professionals were selling their dental scrap to a cash buyer on the spot who presented at their offices and paid, for example, $200 for a jar full of dental scrap, which has an actual value between $1,000 and $10,000. These cash buyers would then go to a dental refinery and gain the difference in price, the dentists earning 20% of the value in the best case.
Second, some refineries worked directly with the dental offices and paid slightly more to earn their business, but then did a similar practice as cash buyers, knowing that the margin was huge between what they paid and the actual value of the scrap, but they kept that information from the customers and got the most profit.
The third scenario was that palladium was being left out of the picture for refining. It can’t be recognized by the naked eye, so cash buyers would tell dentists that they pay only for metals containing yellow gold, and direct refiners didn’t provide palladium results or they hid the content they found, so they both made a huge earning from it without dentists even knowing the value of their scrap. Even worse, because they were badly advised by their suppliers, dental offices would throw away precious pieces of palladium because it looks like every other metal, and they would think it was titanium or steel, which don’t have market value. Palladium has been one of the most used metals for implants, most PFM and dental alloys have it, so dental professionals were losing a great deal of money.
As part of maintaining this full transparency, we make sure to provide you with a full assay report of your dental scrap after refining it, where you can see how much of each precious metal we found and how much we pay for each of them. We are also the only precious metal refinery that provides a 24/7 customer portal where you can control the weight and pictures of your material, and track all historical settlement records.
If you are ready to start refining dental scrap with us, get in touch! We will be glad to assist you and start the process.
[…] A trash can is surely present in every dental setup, but not all kinds of waste can be thrown in it directly. For example, blood-soaked cotton, suction tips, extracted teeth, used needles, amalgam fillings containing mercury, etc. are all hazardous things that need proper waste management in dentistry. Dentists must make sure to use biomedical containers, double bags, puncture-resistant boxes, and proper recycling services when it applies. You can check our full dental waste management guidelines here. Also, it is important to separate and recycle common waste like plastic, paper, and glass. And keep in mind that dental scrap containing precious metals can also be recycled and generate a good income for a dental office. Learn more about dental scrap refining here. […]
[…] Dental scrap recycling is an eco-friendly behavior that you can apply immediately which can also generate an important passive income for your dental practice. Recycling dental scrap is simple, you just need to request a container, fill it with your dental scrap, and send it to us! We take care of the entire refining and assay process and send you a fast settlement and return. […]
[…] through these courses can be inconvenient, we have a way to help you cover these costs! You can use dental scrap recycling as a way to pay for your dental CE fees. By sending your dental scrap to a trustworthy dental […]