Treatment of an amalgam tattoo with the Q-switched ruby laser

The amalgam tattoo is an asymptomatic, ill-defined pigmented macule or patch on the gingiva, buccal mucosa, or mucobuccal fold. It can be cosmetically disfiguring if present on the anterior gingiva. The only reported treatments have involved extensive surgery and grafting. We report use of the Q-switched ruby laser to remove a gingival amalgam tattoo.