Amalgam (dentistry) and 900 shares of tin." Ever since its introduction in the Western world in the 1830s, amalgam has been the subject of recurrent controversies because of its mercury content. Early amalgam was made by mixing mercury with the filings of silver coins. In 1833 Englishmen, Edward Crawcour and his nephew Moses Crawcour (incorrectly referred to as "the Crawcour brothers"), brought amalgam to the United States, and in 1844 it was reported that fifty percent of all dental restorations placed in upstate New York consisted of amalgam. However, at that point the use of dental amalgam was declared to be malpractice,
Amalgam tattoo common sites, although any mucosal site in the mouth is possible. It is painless, and appears as a blue-black or grey discolored macule on the surface of the mucosa. The borders of the tattoo are variable, and may be well defined, irregular or diffuse. Amalgam tattoo is caused by implantation of amalgam into the tissues. It may occur in several ways: Over time, the amalgam particles embedded in the soft tissues corrode. Macrophages take up the exogenous particles, and the silver in amalgam leads to staining of collagen fibers. A similar appearance can be caused by implantation of graphite (e.g.