Dentists Feel No Pain in Recession

Or get a massage with your teeth cleaning

(NEWSER) - Who said going to the dentist had to be boring and/or terrifying? A dental office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has turned getting your teeth inspected into a luxurious event, complete with champagne, massages, and a personal concierge who will make you limo and dinner reservations, reports the Sun Sentinel . Dr. Patty's Dental Boutique also offers Botox and facials along with your routine cavity check. More»

Cavities on the rise, along with anesthesia use: NYT

(NEWSER) - Gone are the days of visiting the kiddie dentist as a tot to get a cavity or two filled: These days, an increasing number of preschoolers are getting knocked out with general anesthesia so dentists can fix extensive problems, in procedures that cost parents anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000. The New York Times recounts a few disturbing stories, like the 2½-year-old who had 11 cavities in his 20 baby teeth and had to have a root canal and two extractions. "I had a lot on my mind, and brushing his teeth was an extra thing I didn’t think about at night," says his mother. More»

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»