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Gum Diseases

Black spot on gum

01/02/2007

Question:

I have a dark black spot on the surface of my gums in the back of my mouth where my wisdom tooth. I got my wisom teeth out 5 years ago, and this spot appeared a month ago. It is pretty flat. Could it be cancer or do you think it could be HPV? anything else it could be?

Answer:

If you have silver fillings in your mouth, or in your wisdom teeth before they were extracted, it could be possible that a little piece of the silver filling could have been caught in the socket during the healing phase. This could stain the gum tissue dark over time, also known as an amalgam tattoo. If an x-ray of the area is taken, a little piece of metal would be observed on the film. Not to worry, this will not change into oral cancer.

Another possibility is that it could be a nevus. This is an accumulation of melanin pigment on the tissue. I would suggest having this area checked by your dentist to make sure it is diagnosed accurately. I hope the information provided can be of help to your concern.

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Response by:

Jose I Arauz-Dutari, DMD Jose I Arauz-Dutari, DMD
Formerly, Assistant Professor of Periodontics
School of Dental Medicine
Case Western Reserve University