Removal of Dental Amalgam Tattoos
What is a Dental Amalgam Tattoo?
The dental amalgam itself is a blend of metals, including silver, tin, and mercury.
Amalgam fragments/particles can sometimes become unintentionally lodged in the jawbone or surrounding soft tissue during dental procedures such as placing, polishing, or removing amalgam fillings or during tooth extractions. When this happens, they can cause a permanent discolouration known as amalgam tattoo. These metals are in direct contact with the blood stream and are a permanent source of heavy metals that potentially poison your body.
Do Amalgam Tattoos Pose a Danger?
Our profession considers them harmless, as in most cases it is typically a benign pigmented lesion and does not cause pain discomfort, swelling, bleeding, or functional problems, never the less, any pigmented spot in the mouth must be properly evaluated.
Some serious conditions — such as mucosal melanoma — can appear similar and might require urgent diagnosis and treatment.
Diagnosis: How Dentists Identify Amalgam Tattoos
Diagnoses are based upon:
- Clinical appearance: A flat, blue-grey or black spot on oral mucosa.
- Dental history: Past or current amalgam fillings near the discoloured area.
- X-Rays can be used to identify the metal particles.
- Biopsy: If it is not evident on radiographs, then it must be removed and sent to the pathologist to rule out the possibility of melanoma.
Removing an Amalgam Tattoo:
- Surgical Excision
Under local anaesthesia, the pigmented tissue containing the amalgam particles is surgically removed, more often than not, the bone is also discoloured and it should also be cleaned.
- Laser
Lasers target and remove the pigmented area in the soft tissue with minimal bleeding, we use it when it is a small area and the bone is not affected.