FALL RIVER, Mass. -- The young man who had a root canal five years ago, only to discover his dentist used paper clips for the procedure, said he is still experiencing pain.

"When I chew food it, like, hurts, and like, when something's cold, it hurts even more," said Joshua Almeida, 20, who went to Harbour Dental Care in 2005 to fix his teeth and ended up walking away with a mouth full of trouble.

Former Fall River dentist Michael Clair was indicted last week for allegedly putting paper clips in the mouths of patients like Almeida during root canals, then billing Medicaid for the stainless steel posts that should have been used.

"I get toothaches all the time, like, I still have one in my mouth right now. I still have a cap in my mouth with a paper clip in it," said Almeida.

Clair, who now lives in Maryland, was charged with assault and battery, larceny, submitting false claims to Medicaid, and illegally prescribing drugs.

Almeida's mother said she still cannot believe what happened to her son.

"For what he did to my kids I'm like shocked that he ever did something ... I never expected him to go this far, especially with a paper clip," said Brenda Almeida.

The attorney general's office alleges that Clair made about $130,000 filing false Medicaid claims. He was suspended by the agency in 2002 and then allegedly hired other dentists to work in his clinic and filed claims under their numbers between 2003 and 2005.

Clair is scheduled for arraignment April 8.

Almeida will find out in a few weeks whether the paper clip can be removed from his mouth.