Department of Periodontology, Graduate school of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
Nagai Dental Clinic, Tokyo, Japan.
J Esthet Restor Dent. 2021 Jun;33(4):550-559. doi: 10.1111/jerd.12721. Epub 2021 Feb 10.
Few effective and established treatment methods can remove gingival metal or amalgam tattoos. With this case series, we aimed to demonstrate the use of a novel minimally invasive technique to remove metal tattoos using an erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser.
We retrospectively collected clinical data from 18 patients who had undergone Er:YAG laser treatment to remove metal tattoos. Minimal gingival ablation using an Er:YAG laser directed towards the pigmented area was performed, which exposed metal debris within the connective tissue that was carefully removed. A dental microscope was employed to identify the metal debris, for accurate irradiation, and to minimize wounding by reducing invasion. Postoperative gingival color and morphology, and visual analog scale as a patient-reported outcome assessing postoperative pain were evaluated.
All patients' metal tattoos were removed completely and safely during short procedures. Considerable esthetic improvements and favorable wound healing were achieved with almost no postoperative pain or complications.
The findings from this case series suggest that this novel minimally invasive therapy for metal tattoo removal that involved the Er:YAG laser is effective and safe, is associated with successful outcomes, and contributes greatly to patients' esthetic satisfaction.
Metal tattoo removal using an Er:YAG laser safely and successfully improved gingival esthetics. This novel technique is much simpler and less invasive than conventional periodontal plastic surgery, and it may be more reliable regarding esthetic gingival improvements as it is associated with favorable wound healing, and it could offer significant benefits to patients by alleviating physical and mental stresses via reduced chair time and postoperative pain.
目前，能够有效去除牙龈金属或汞合金纹身的方法并不多。本病例系列旨在展示一种使用新型微创技术，通过铒：钇铝石榴石（Er:YAG）激光去除金属纹身的方法。
我们回顾性地收集了 18 名接受 Er:YAG 激光治疗以去除金属纹身的患者的临床数据。采用 Er:YAG 激光对色素沉着区域进行最小程度的牙龈消融，以暴露结缔组织内的金属碎屑，然后仔细清除。使用牙科显微镜识别金属碎屑，以实现准确照射，并通过减少入侵来最小化创伤。评估术后牙龈颜色和形态，以及作为评估术后疼痛的患者报告结果的视觉模拟评分。
所有患者的金属纹身均在短时间内安全、彻底地去除。几乎没有术后疼痛或并发症，且取得了可观的美学改善和良好的伤口愈合效果。
本病例系列的研究结果表明，这种新型微创的 Er:YAG 激光治疗金属纹身去除方法是有效且安全的，可获得成功的效果，并大大提高了患者的美学满意度。
使用 Er:YAG 激光安全且成功地改善了牙龈美观。与传统牙周整形手术相比，这种新型技术更简单、创伤更小，而且由于与良好的伤口愈合相关，因此在美学改善方面更可靠，并且通过减少椅旁时间和减轻术后疼痛，可以减轻患者的身心压力，从而为患者带来显著的益处。
