Dentists Feel No Pain in Recession

Columbus, Indiana, and Casper, Wyoming top employment list

(NEWSER) - Recession—that's a big-city thing, right? Several mid-size cities around the US are making an argument for their economic superiority, boasting job growth higher than the 1.5% national average in 2011. You may not know these cities well, but the Christian Science Monitor recommends them:

1. Columbus, Indiana: No, not Ohio's Columbus: Indiana's version had 10% growth from 2009 to 2010, making it the best economic rebounder during the Great Recession. Jobs are up 6.4%.

Michael Clair given a year in Massachusetts prison

(NEWSER) - A former dentist who used paper clips instead of steel posts in root canal surgery was sentenced today to a year in prison and five years' probation, The Herald reports. Dr. Michael Clair pleaded guilty in Fall River, Mass., to a slew of other charges, including witness intimidation, assault and battery, and defrauding Medicaid of $130,000. But the judge denied prosecutors a longer sentence, siting Clair's lack of a criminal past and "certain mental health issues." The judge didn't name the issues, the AP reports. More»

Michael Clair also charged with Medicaid fraud

(NEWSER) - Paper clips and stainless steel posts: Basically the same thing, right? A former Massachusetts dentist has pleaded guilty to a host of charges, including the accusation that he used parts of paper clips rather than stainless steel posts to support root canals in an attempt to save money. Michael Clair's main charge, however, is Medicaid fraud to the tune of $130,000; he was suspended by Medicaid in 2002, but prosecutors say he continued performing work on Medicaid patients and submitted the claims in the names of other dentists in the practice. More»

Singer gave 'souvenir' to housekeeper

(NEWSER) - Almost straight from a rock legend's mouth, one of John Lennon's teeth has been sold at a British auction for $30,000 to—who else?—a dentist. "Some people will think it's gross, others will be fascinated by it," said Canadian dentist Michael Zuk, who has written a book about celeb teeth. He plans to display the tooth in his office and take it on tour to other offices and dental schools. Lennon had the tooth, a molar, removed during a visit to his own dentist in the '60s. When he returned home he handed it to his housekeeper, asking her to dispose of it, reports the BBC . Then he added: "Or better still, give it to your daughter as a souvenir." It ended up in a rock memorabilia collection. More»

Forecast sees it at 8.6% at end of 2012

(NEWSER) - If President Obama were hoping for a quick election-year turnaround in the jobless rate, the Federal Reserve burst his bubble today. The Fed projected unemployment will be at 8.6% at the end of 2012, not much better than the 9.1% registered in September of this year, reports the Wall Street Journal . The projections don't get remarkably better after that: The Fed sees the rate at 8% by the end of 2013 and 7.7% the following year. More»