Choosing The Right Funeral Home

Finding Answers To Some Of The Unusual Questions Regarding Cremation Services

29 July 2015

Derek Murphy

Funerals and end-of-life preparations, in general, bring about a lot of natural curiosities because this is a topic that a lot of people just don't talk about in regular conversations. However, when you start thinking about cremation, you are bound to have even more questions. If you are like most people, these are questions that you will never really ask the cremation services director, but you would still like to know the answers to just the same. Here are a few of the most common but slightly unusual questions about cremation.     

Are there people who cannot be cremated for whatever reason?

Pretty much everyone can be cremated if they choose. The only exception would be someone who is too large to fit through the door to the retort. This opening is only so large, which can determine the size allowances set forth by a funeral home. Additionally, if someone has a pacemaker, it will have to be removed before cremation because it can explode in extreme temperatures. 

How much do the remains weigh when they come out?

Regardless of the weight of the person who is cremated, the remains that are left behind usually weigh between three and nine pounds. This weight is actually pretty dense for the small amount of ashes when you consider how much other types of ashes--such as what would come from wood--would weigh in the same volume or size. 

What happens to dental fillings and other foreign materials during cremation?

If you have gold teeth when you are cremated, the heat inside of the crematorium will not disintegrate the metals in your dental fillings or otherwise. In most cases, the remaining metals that come out with the ashes are pulled out and set aside for recycling, as the metals cannot be put in the pulverizing machine that further grinds the ashes because they will cause damage. 

Wouldn't one person's remains get mixed with whatever was left behind by the last?

When someone is cremated, they are laid on a metal holding table in their own cremation vessel--such as a wooden coffin or cardboard box. After each cremation is performed, the metal holding tray inside of the crematorium is thoroughly cleaned to prevent the remaining ashes from mingling with those of the next person. 

When it comes down to it, being curious about cremation is perfectly normal. If you have things you are curious about, it is always a good idea to ask for more information when you visit a crematorium (such as those from J Allen Hooper Funeral Chapel) for assistance planning your own arrangements. 

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