Amalgam Tattoo is Gone!

Amalgam Tattoo Removed

Well today I got the amalgam tattoo removed.  I was soo nervous!  My biggest concern was this nerve my previous dentist talked about, so I brought it up.  The oral surgeon said there was a nerve there (he had a name for it), but it is very large and isn't something you would accidentally hit.  He said if there was damage to the nerve that I'd lose feeling in my lower lip.  However he assured me it wasn't going to be an issue and if it was he would talk to me about it.  Phew ok that made me feel A LOT better.

He asked me if I wanted to do it now and I said sure why not!  Overall it was easy and not a big deal at all. I took some extra hydrocortisone (40mg) just to be sure but I probably could have gotten away with an extra 10 or 20mg.  

The area was numbed and then the oral surgeon went to town.  The nerve was not an issue at all.  In fact he said he did not even see it, so that was good.  He went all the way through "multiple tissue planes" to the bone and I could feel the pressure of him scrapping the bone!!  WOW!  Thankfully the numbing was good, so I didn't actually feel any pain.

Afterward he assured me it was highly likely this spot was just an amalgam tattoo.  He said it looked consistent with one as he was removing the tissues, but it is important to know dark spots in your gums can be cancerous too.  Because of that, the tissue was sent out for pathology and that report will come back in about a week.  I go back to see him next week just to make sure everything is good.

There are dissolving stitches on the incision.  It is very bloody and raw looking at the moment, so I have to be careful.  He said to take it easy brushing in that area, but I can eat and drink whatever I want.  My lip is still really numb, so I am taking it easy.  It's funny trying to put lipstick on with a numb lip. haha

He asked me before he got started if I wanted pain pills.  I was caught off guard by this question because I did not even think about the fact this might hurt afterward.  I was so nervous about the nerve and the procedure, my brain completely left out the part this wound might be extremely painful. haha  I told him I am not a fan of pain pills as they make me feel so out of it, but he gave me a prescription any way for vicodin.  I did not get it filled yet, so I am hoping it does not hurt too bad.  I can already feel some of the novacaine wearing off though and I do not have a good feeling about it.  hahah!

I was planning on taking a picture, but I don't know if I can pull my lip back that far without disturbing the area.  It is hard taking a picture of this area, so we'll see... 

If any of you have a dark spot on your gums, please have it looked at!! Especially if it came out of no where and not related to a tooth restoration or filling. I will let you know what the report says when I see them again next week. 

One thing to note. This doctor had a general idea what POTS was and he knew that I needed to take extra HC for the procedure.  I was impressed!

Update @ 7PM
The novacain wore off hours ago and it is sore only if I move my mouth around.  So I'm trying not to disturb it at all.  I don't plan on needing the pain pill because it is only very tender otherwise.  Thankfully it is not a bad throbbing pain I have had with other tooth aches and such.  Nonetheless this sore is going to be a pain in the ass, I am now realizing because I cannot eat normal foods.  haha

Update @ Midnight
Now it is hurting and I don't know.  Nothing has changed with it.  Eating earlier was rather interesting and I made myself some mashed potatoes.  It just more annoying than anything.  I want to be able to open my mouth up the whole way and I cannot.  Doing that pulls on the stitches and that doesn't feel very good. 

However I was able to snap this picture of the wound (seen at the top).  It's already looking WAY better than earlier today.