Brits are trading in their gold braces.

The number of people trading in braces which are made of gold has increased during the economic downturn.

Dr Lionel Wainstein, a specialist orthodontist based in London, said more people are keeping their braces after they have been used as the value of gold has skyrocketed in recent months, meaning these devices have become quite valuable.

He commented: “After braces have been used, they are removed from the mouth by the dentist and disposed of. But if they are made of gold, the dentist would be mad to chuck them away.”

Elsewhere, Bobby Heiser, owner of Crescent Jewelry in Kansas, noted there has been an increase in the number of people trading in gold teeth and crowns.

He claimed many of the emergency dentistry devices are made of 16-carat gold and he has even had people bringing in full sets of bridges, with teeth still attached.