Former Dentist Michael Clair has pleaded guilty to a wide variety of charges, including fraud, after substituting paper clips for stainless steel posts in at least two different dental surgeries.

For patients who have a serious fear of the dentist, this story will not help the condition. For tips on managing your fear of the dentist, stop reading this article now and check out this one:

How to Manage Your Fear of the Dentist.

Clair had been banned from providing services to Medicaid patients, yet still managed to collect $130,000 in fraudulent reimbursement. He would have other dentists in the dental practice provide billing services for work he did, in order to service Medicaid patients.  In addition, he would write prescriptions for narcotics for staff members, who would fill the prescriptions and give him the pills.

Reportedly, even after anonymous reports led the government to his dental practice, it took an additional four years for the dentist to be indicted on multiple counts.  His dental license was suspended in 2006, and he is currently unable to work as a dentist in this country. Clair is facing 15 years in prison.

What I find extra horrifying about this case is that paper clips are apparently an acceptable substitute for stainless posts on a temporary basis, but not on a permanent one.  Am I wrong here for thinking that's a little strange?

Why are you afraid of the dentist?

It sounds kind of odd, doesn't it? Of course you know how to cough, you've been doing it your entire life.

When you were small you were taught to  cover your mouth when you coughed, and that was that, you were an expert cougher.  After surgery, everything you know about coughing (cover your mouth) will change because your hands will be busy elsewhere.  Using a technique commonly referred to as "bracing" you can prevent injury and minimize the pain of coughing.  Using another technique, "cough and deep breathe," you can help prevent pneumonia.

How To Cough After Surgery

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Surgeons in Ankara, Turkey performed that country's first face transplant today on a 19-year-old who was burned as an infant.  Surgeons are also performing the worlds first triple limb transplant, transplanting the same donor's arms and a leg to another man.  There are no indications if organs were also able to be transplanted.

About Organ Transplant

The face of 45-year-old donor Ahmet Kaya will be transplanted to Ugur Acar today.  Nearly Acar's entire face was burned by a burning blanket when he was only 40 days old.

About Organ Donation

Atilla Kadvir, the 34-year old limb transplant recipient, has had the transplanted leg removed.  Hours after surgery it was deemed no longer viable. At this time both arms are still viable.  Kadvir was 11 when he lost his limbs during an accident.  He was running with a metal stick while trying to chase away pigeons when he was electrocuted.

Dr. Omer Ozkan, who led the teams, previously performed a double arm transplant and a womb transplant.

Dante Autullo is a lucky man.  Anyone who can go to the emergency room (and be shown an xray of their own head with a nail embedded) and understand what is happening is lucky, in my book.

Autullo thought the nail, which was fired by a nail gun, had grazed his scalp because he was bleeding and felt "like I got punched on the side of the head." In reality, the nail was imbedded in his skull and was within millimeters of rendering him permanently disabled.

Neurosurgeon Leslie Schaffer removed the nail by placing two small holes in the skull on each side of the nail, then removing the piece of skull bone alone with the nail.