How to Recycle Dental Materials
Dental amalgam, crowns, bridges, and other materials removed during dental procedures, plus consumer dental products like toothbrushes and floss packaging. Amalgam handling is a dental-practice compliance issue, not a consumer disposal task.
Quick answer
Old amalgam fillings, crowns, and other dental waste removed during a procedure are the dental office's responsibility to capture and dispose of correctly, not something a patient manages at home. Since a 2020 compliance deadline, dental offices that place or remove amalgam have been required to install EPA-mandated amalgam separators to keep mercury out of wastewater. As a patient, your own disposal task is limited to things like an old toothbrush, floss container, or OTC dental appliance packaging, disposed of by material type.
- Recycling route
- Check locally
- Typical value
- Not applicable to patients; any precious-metal recovery value from dental scrap belongs to the dental practice's waste management arrangement
How to Prepare
- 1If you have a crown, bridge, or filling removed, leave its handling to your dentist's office; they're required to capture and manage it properly