Every dentist who used amalgam fillings after ceramics were available was deliberately breaking teeth.
Amalgam is elastic, translating vertical pressure on the top of the tooth into outward pressure on the enamel surrounding the filling. The stress inevitably leads to fracture of the enamel, guaranteeing more extensive and expensive work needed down the road.
Ceramics are non-compressible thanks to the quartz matrix in the filling material. Vertical pressure is absorbed by the roots and jaw, just as in the undamaged tooth. Odds of additional damage are greatly reduced.
The American Dental Association for years covered up this fact, so insurance companies all that time would only cover amalgam, resulting in more claims than would otherwise occurred. But not to worry, the insurance companies just passed the increased cost on to the customer.
My dentist rightly pointed out the ADA and the insurance companies were a bunch of self serving sadists. He billed my insurance for the work minus the fillings, then did ceramics off the books for cost. Hard to find honest, ethical professionals. He’s retired now, the best dentist I ever had.
My dentist friend also used to do that.
Ethical and honest people DO exist, but they seem to be more and more rare as time passes
Ethical dentistry ping.