Can you remove a gold tooth at home?
No, not if the gold is fixed to your tooth. A gold cap is cemented onto a tooth that was filed down to fit it, so it doesn't lift or unclip, and prising it off at home can crack that tooth or cut your mouth. Gold that clips in and out is different. That is a removable piece, and you can take it out yourself.
For a fixed cap, let us do it. We take the gold off at the practice, check the tooth underneath and rebuild it in tooth-coloured composite.
Fixed or removable: how to tell
- Removable gold, including most grillz, sits over your teeth and comes out by hand, the same way each time. You can take it out to clean it.
- A fixed cap or open-face design is cemented onto the tooth and doesn't come out by hand. An old fixed cap can work loose or show a gap at its edge, but that doesn't make it removable.
If you're not sure which you have, don't pull at it to find out. We can tell you at an assessment.
Why home remedies and tools don't work
A fixed cap is held on by dental cement, set hard on a tooth that was shaped to fit it. Rinses, oils, salt water and other home remedies don't dissolve dental cement, and tools from a toolbox aren't made for teeth. Videos that show a cap being levered off show the cap coming away; they don't show what happened to the tooth afterwards.
A fixed cap should come off in the chair, where the tooth can be looked after the moment it's uncovered.
What can go wrong
Prising, cutting or pulling at a fixed cap can lead to:
- The tooth under the gold cracking or breaking.
- A cut to your gum, lip or tongue.
- A filed-down tooth left bare and sensitive until it is restored.
A tooth that cracks may then need more than a composite rebuild. If the gold has been on for years, the tooth under it may already need some work, and our guide to gold caps after many years lists the signs.
If your gold cap is loose or has come off
If the cap is loose but still on, leave it where it is rather than working it free. If it has come off, keep it in a clean container and bring it with you. Avoid chewing on that side, rinse your mouth gently with warm water, and call 031 563 2473 to book. Don't try to glue the cap back on yourself.
If the tooth is painful or broken, see toothache and broken teeth. We see people in pain as soon as possible during practice hours at Durban Dental Care: Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm and Saturday 9am to 12pm.
Go to a hospital emergency department straight away if you have swelling that spreads towards your eye or neck, a fever with a swollen face, or trouble breathing or swallowing.
How we take the gold off at the practice
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Step 1: Assessment
We look at the gold and the tooth around it and explain what we expect to find.
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Step 2: Taking off the gold
The tooth is numbed if needed. The gold is then cut through and lifted off, so the tooth underneath can be checked.
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Step 3: Cleaning and checking the tooth
Any decay is cleaned out, and we check that enough sound tooth is left for composite to rebuild it.
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Step 4: Rebuilding in composite
You choose the shade together. The composite is bonded to the tooth, built up by hand, shaped and polished.
If the gold holds a false tooth, taking it off would leave a gap, so we check for this at the assessment. Each step of the treatment is on our page about gold and silver tooth removal.
Questions about removing gold at home
If it is a removable piece, yes, because it comes out by hand. A fixed cap that has come loose shouldn't be pulled at, because that can damage the tooth under it. Leave it in place and call 031 563 2473.
The same applies to silver. A fixed silver cap is cemented on and should be taken off at the practice. See silver tooth caps for how a silver cap differs from a silver filling.
Removable grillz come out by hand, the same way they go in. If yours are fixed to your teeth, don't try to pull them off. Book an assessment, and we'll tell you what is involved.
It can end up costing more, because a tooth that cracks while you prise at the cap may need more than a composite rebuild. Our guide to what gold tooth removal costs explains what goes into having it done at the practice.
If you're nervous, tell us when you book
We'll have headphones, a blanket and pillow and softer lighting ready, with a stress ball to hold if it helps. Protective eyewear and lip balm are on the comfort menu too.
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.
Toothache and emergencies
If a tooth hurts or breaks, call us and we'll see you as soon as we can during practice hours.
More about gold and silver teeth
What gold tooth removal costs in South Africa
What goes into gold tooth removal, from the assessment to the tooth-coloured rebuild, and how medical aid treats it.
- 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
Let us take the gold off for you
Book an assessment at Durban Dental Care. Call or WhatsApp 031 563 2473, or book online.
