# Say that I had a large bag of teeth . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 8, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902 "2010-11-08T14:22:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/1 "2010-11-08T14:22:09Z")
. . . with gold & platinum fillings. How could I turn it into spendable cash at reasonable value, without facing pesky questions best avoided? Hypothetically speaking, of course. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/2 "2010-11-08T14:58:38Z")
I’d find a way to melt the metals out of the teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/3 "2010-11-08T15:03:33Z")
[Selling dental gold.](http://www.animated-teeth.com/dental_crowns/t-sell-scrap-dental-gold.htm) ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/4 "2010-11-08T15:15:29Z")
Gold melts. Teeth oxidize. Do you have access to a kiln? ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/5 "2010-11-08T15:21:13Z")
Heh. I should have known something was out there like that. I actually only have one soon to be removed tooth with a large gold filling, but it got me thinking. I wonder what those services would say if I inquired about bulk rates . . . ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/6 "2010-11-08T15:23:50Z")
Say that I had several square feet of human skin… …what would be the best way to make a lampshade out of it? Hypothetically speaking, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/7 "2010-11-08T15:31:36Z")
[Make your own lampshades.](http://www.lampshop.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/8 "2010-11-08T15:32:26Z")
I had a neighbor lady who had her fillings of gold and silver, she had a full upper set of false teeth and a partial lower set, so she had a good amount. This was in the 80s when Gold and Silver went up so high (or was that the 70s?) Well anyway, she just took it to the gold dealer tooth and all and he bought the gold and silver fillings along with the tooth. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/9 "2010-11-08T15:33:02Z")
If you made a project of making a lampshade out of your _own_ skin – necessarily over the course of several months, if not years – now that would be something. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/10 "2010-11-08T18:57:31Z")
I could also try belly-button lint crochet. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/11 "2010-11-08T19:43:19Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > If you made a project of making a lampshade out of your _own_ skin – necessarily over the course of several months, if not years – now that would be something. Oooh. Gruesome. There are skin stretching techniques used to help victims of severe burns - the scarred skin tends to shrink as it heals. It involves placing balloon-like sacs under the skin and inflating them over time with saline, I believe. Seems to me it would be technically possible to grow yourself a swath of extra skin and harvest it this way. Eeygh. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/12 "2010-11-08T20:39:46Z")
‘Koxinga has a large bag of teeth.’ ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/13 "2010-11-08T21:53:47Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I could also try belly-button lint crochet. Not sure about crochet, but you may be able to “felt” it. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/14 "2010-11-09T01:47:52Z")
I would experiment with putting a tooth in a baggie and then giving it a tap with a hammer. I would bet the tooth would shatter and leave the filling free to pluck from the shards. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/15 "2010-11-09T02:38:47Z")
Could one toss the teeth in a bag with mercury, then heat the mercury to release the gold? I’ve often wondered about that… ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/16 "2010-11-09T02:51:13Z")
> [@Tristan](#): > > Could one toss the teeth in a bag with mercury, then heat the mercury to release the gold? > > I’ve often wondered about that… “…Is it safe” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/17 "2010-11-09T02:53:41Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > ‘Koxinga has a large bag of teeth.’ C’est la vie! Now, dammit. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/18 "2010-11-09T03:31:39Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Oooh. Gruesome. > > There are skin stretching techniques used to help victims of severe burns - the scarred skin tends to shrink as it heals. It involves placing balloon-like sacs under the skin and inflating them over time with saline, I believe. Seems to me it would be technically possible to grow yourself a swath of extra skin and harvest it this way. > > Eeygh. You want a baseball glove? You grow your baseball glove! ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/19 "2010-11-09T10:47:04Z")
> [@Tristan](#): > > Could one toss the teeth in a bag with mercury, then heat the mercury to release the gold? > > I’ve often wondered about that… > [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > “…Is it safe” 😉 It’s done, but you want to be very careful > **[mecury vapor lung diseased - Yahoo Search Results](https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=mecury%2Bvapor%2Blung%2Bdiseased&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-311)** ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902/20 "2010-11-09T11:02:44Z")
Hah, I guess my google-fu is strong tonight, here’s a case I had some involvement with from 10 years back. > **[Family poisoned by mercury vapor inhalation - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10999577/)** > > Acute mercury vapor poisoning is an uncommon but potentially fatal toxicologic emergency. A case series is presented of a family who became exposed to mercury vapor as a result of home gold ore processing. The severity of the poisoning necessitated... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/say-that-i-had-a-large-bag-of-teeth/559902.md?page=2)