Amalgam Tattoo

I've had this amalgam tattoo since I was 8 or 9 years old. The dentist who removed my amalgam fillings said it was in a really bad place. He was concerned about a nerve that runs near that area which could paralyze my face. Ok not cool.

Well this week I am having an oral surgeon take a look at it to see if it is possible to have it removed. This thing is huge and I'd like to get the remaining amalgam out of my body to see if it makes any difference. I would have done it sooner, but the fact my dentist (whom I trust) said it was probably not possible, made me sort of forget about it. After reading a few studies, I am determined (within reason) to get this thing removed. It has been shown to increase your risk for mouth cancer and sinusitis. I have a stuffy nose almost all the time. In fact my nose drives me absolutely insane at times!

Here are a few studies that suggest amalgam tattoos are anything but "benign". In the very least they are making your immune system go crazy!

• Amalgam tattoo: a cause of sinusitis?
• An amalgam tattoo causing local and systemic disease?
• Amalgam pigmentation (amalgam tattoo) of the oral mucosa. A clinicopathologic study of 268 cases

Ugh the tooth next to the amalgam tattoo is also leaking some sort of metal. The dentist who did that filling failed hardcore and the metal post which is supposed to hold the tooth in place is sticking out of my tooth deep under the gums. That's a $1200 crown I can't afford at the moment. It's been like this for years.