What everybody should know about Amalgam Tattoo?
Do you notice any black, blue, or grey-colored lesions on the gum line or other soft tissues inside your mouth?
If you received silver amalgam fillings restoration treatment earlier, then you have a high chance of such discolorations on oral tissues. This is a side effect of the amalgam fillings and is clinically termed as “Amalgam Tattoo”.
Keep reading to know more about its causes, complexions, and treatments to cure.
Table of Contents
What is meant by Amalgam Tattoo?
Amalgam Tattoo is a harmless condition that causes dark-colored lesions inside our mouth. Mostly, such discolorations occur in the gums around the teeth which were restored with amalgam fillings. It causes tiny-sized discolored spots that are less than 0.5 inches.
Except this cosmetic issue, amalgam tattoo does not cause any apparent signs or irritations.
People who received amalgam fillings and apicoectomy treatment develop this problem due to the chemicals present in silver amalgams.
How does this problem occur?
The silver filling is a blend of mercury, silver, copper, zinc, and tin. When a tooth is filled with silver fillings to treat cavities or restoration, it restores the tooth’s functionality.
When the fillings become old or weak after years of restoration treatment, you have to remove them and replace them with new fillings. Dentists use a drilling machine or a high-speed handpiece to remove the existing amalgam fillings. During this process, the tiny particles of the fillings fly around your mouth.
If you don’t rinse your mouth properly then, they may stuck in the space between the teeth or over the soft tissues and create minor bruises. Despite the wounds heal with time, the trapped silver particles inside the tissues will leak silver into the tissue, causing discoloration with the metallic pigment.
Besides cavity fillings, Apicoectomy is also associated with tattooing the tissue. This is because the procedure involves removing a tooth’s root tip, cleaning the infected region, and filled with amalgam fillings.
Is there any complication with amalgam tattoos?
Luckily, this does not cause any side effects or discomforts. Despite the amalgam fillings contain a proportion of mercury, it does not cause toxic effects or mercury poisoning.
The black or grey pigmentations in the mouth happened with the fillings can be removed with appropriate dental treatments.
What are the treatments available to fix amalgam tattoos?
Dentists remove amalgam tattoos with surgical excision or laser treatment. Apart from removing the dark-colored spots, dentists recommend these treatments to remove the trapped amalgam particles diagnosed with X-rays or a biopsy.
- Surgical treatment – The discolored tissue is removed using a scalpel or a surgical knife.
- Laser treatment – The laser light is powerful to wipe off the filling materials trapped in the tissues as well as the dark pigmentations caused by them.
Bottom line
Amalgam tattoos are the dark-colored pigmentation of silver dental fillings and are identified with discolorations in oral tissues. It is harmless and can be cured with laser or surgical treatments.
When you notice such grey or black spots in your mouth, don’t take it lightly as we have mentioned it is harmless. Various skin infectious conditions & bodily disorders like Addison’s disease, Hemangioma, Mucosal melanoma, etc also mimic the symptom of amalgam tattoos and need timely attention.
