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Published on: July 6, 2015
Removal of an amalgam tattoo using a subepithelial connective tissue graft and laser deepithelialization
Casey M Campbell1, David E Deas
110th Dental Squadron, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, USA. casey.campbell@us.af.mil
Background:
A 56-year-old female presented for periodontal treatment with a large amalgam tattoo located in alveolar mucosa on the facial aspect of her maxillary central incisors. The lesion had been present for 42 years since having endodontic surgery at teeth #8 and #9 after a traumatic childhood incident.
Methods:
A two-stage surgical approach was used to eliminate the lesion, beginning with a subepithelial connective tissue graft to increase tissue thickness subjacent to the amalgam tattoo. After 6 weeks of healing, the overlying pigmented tissue was removed using laser surgery to expose the underlying grafted connective tissue.
Results:
After 2 months of healing following laser surgery, the amalgam pigmentation was completely removed, with good color match and an increased width of keratinized tissue at the surgical site.
Conclusion:
A relatively large amalgam tattoo in the esthetic zone can be adequately removed by a two-stage procedure using grafted palatal connective tissue and laser deepithelialization.
