What gold tooth removal costs in South Africa
There is no fixed price for gold tooth removal in South Africa, because the work depends on the tooth under the gold. We look at it first and talk you through your options at the assessment.
We take gold off. We don't fit it.
Caps, slits or grillz: we take them off and give you back a tooth-coloured tooth. If you were planning to take yours off yourself, read why a gold tooth should not come off at home first.
What gold removal includes
- The assessment, with X-rays at Durban Dental Care if the tooth needs them.
- Taking off the gold, tooth by tooth.
- Cleaning out any decay found under the gold.
- Rebuilding each tooth in tooth-coloured composite, bonded to your tooth and shaped by hand in the chair to match your other teeth, with no moulds and no laboratory.
Each step is on our page about gold and silver tooth removal.
Investing in your teeth
The cost comes down to the tooth under the gold: whether it carries an inlay, an open-face design such as a slit or an L or T shape, or a full cap, whether there is decay underneath, and how much of the tooth needs rebuilding. Silver comes off and is rebuilt the same way, so the same goes for a silver tooth.
What the tooth needs once the gold is off
We tell you at the assessment what we expect to find, but a tooth can only be checked fully once the gold is off.
| What is under the gold | What happens |
|---|---|
| A sound tooth with enough of its own structure | It is rebuilt in tooth-coloured composite. |
| Some decay | The decay is cleaned out, then the tooth is filled and rebuilt, as with tooth-coloured fillings. |
| Deep decay, or too little tooth left for composite to hold | We explain what the tooth needs before going further, and you decide what happens next. |
| Gold that holds a false tooth (part of a bridge) | Taking it off would leave a gap, so we plan for this with you at the assessment. |
How it works
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Step 1: Book
Send us a WhatsApp with how many teeth have gold or silver on them and a day that suits you.
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Step 2: Assessment
Come in on a weekday or a Saturday morning at Durban Dental Care, 490 Chris Hani Road, Park Hill, Durban North. We check the gold and the tooth around it.
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Step 3: Removal and rebuild
The gold comes off, any decay is cleaned out and the tooth is rebuilt in tooth-coloured composite.
Paying with medical aid, card or cash
Medical schemes often treat cosmetic work as excluded, and some scheme rules list gold inlays as an exclusion. If the gold is coming off because of decay or pain, your scheme may see the claim differently, so tell them why it is being removed.
We accept medical aid, card and cash, and you can ask us about paying in instalments. For how schemes pay for dental work in general, read medical aid and dental cover.
Your questions about gold removal costs
It depends on the tooth under the gold, so there is no fixed national price. Call 031 563 2473 or send us a WhatsApp to book an assessment.
It works the same way as gold, because silver comes off and the tooth is rebuilt in the same way. Not sure whether you have a silver cap or an old silver filling? Our guide to silver tooth caps explains the difference.
Yes. Gold removal here means taking the gold off and rebuilding the tooth in tooth-coloured composite, so you don't leave with a bare, filed-down tooth.
Not because of its age. The condition of the tooth decides it, so if decay has started under an old cap, there is more to clean out and rebuild. See gold caps after many years for the signs worth booking for.
Related treatments
Gold tooth removal
Swap a gold or silver cap for a tooth-coloured one, rebuilt in composite to match the teeth beside it.
Composite veneers
Change the colour, shape and size of your front teeth with thin layers of tooth-coloured composite, shaped by hand on your teeth.
Fillings
A cavity, a cracked old filling or a small chip repaired in composite matched to the shade of your tooth.
More about gold and silver teeth
Can you remove a gold tooth at home?
Why a fixed gold cap should not be taken off at home, and what to do if it is loose.
- Gold teeth
Silver tooth caps: what they are, how they come off and what replaces them
What a silver tooth is, how it differs from a silver filling, and what happens when it comes off.
- Gold teeth
Gold caps after many years: signs of decay under the gold
What can happen to the tooth under a gold cap over the years, and the signs worth booking for.
- Gold teeth
Book your gold removal assessment
Weekdays and Saturday mornings at Durban Dental Care. Call or WhatsApp 031 563 2473.
