Lose Your Teeth and Your Mind?

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284498603“As the numbers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disabilities increase, scientists are investigating how these conditions may be related to oral health. After evaluating available research, the International and American Associations for Dental Research concluded that individuals with fewer than 20 teeth face a 26% greater risk of cognitive decline and 22% greater risk of dementia.

The researchers searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycoINFO, and Cochrane Library databases and identified 1,251 articles published between 1990 and 2014, choosing 10 for their systematic review and 8 for their meta-analysis. A pair of researchers reviewed and assessed the studies independently according to Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines.”

– See more via Tooth Loss Associated With Reduced Cognitive Function | Dentistry Today

Periodontitis Linked to Greater Ischemic Stroke Risks | Dentistry Today

Periodontal progression“Adults with periodontal disease may be at greater risk for ischemic stroke, according to the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Researchers there assessed 6,711 adults who had not had a stroke for mild, moderate, or severe periodontal disease and followed them for 15 years to monitor the number and types of strokes that later occurred.

The researchers noted 299 ischemic strokes, including 47% that were thrombotic, from a clot within the brain’s blood vessels; 26% that were cardioembolic, when a clot forms in the heart; and 20% that were lacunar, which occurs when there is a blockage of small arteries that supply blood to the brain.

Participants with mild periodontal disease were 1.9 times more likely to have an ischemic stroke than those without periodontal disease.” Continue reading via Periodontitis Linked to Greater Ischemic Stroke Risks | Dentistry Today

Bright not White- in the search for the perfect smile terminology matters

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“When patients ask for white and only white teeth, most of the time we think they want that old bathroom ceramic white, and we wonder why, for crying out loud, would they want something like that in their mouths? They probably don’t. They don’t know the terminology. So they probably will not tell their dentists, “I want translucency with light mammelons and gentle halo, and a vital, luminescent restoration.” Sometimes we even blame patients for wearing those dead-white crowns or veneers. We say, “It looks so fake, how can she think that looks good? She paid for that?”…and so on.” Read more bright-smilevia Keep it Bright! The Difference Between Bright and White | Dentistry Today

Wall Street Drops, Led by Banks, as Investors Book Profits – The New York Times

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“Since President Donald Trump vowed last week to announce a tax reform in the coming weeks, Wall Street has hit record intraday and closing highs in successive days in a rally led by financials.

The S&P 500 financial index outperformed others with a gain of about 3.2 percent in the past week, while the KBW Bank index was up 3.8 percent. The S&P 500 gained 1.7 percent.

Those gains were cut sharply on Friday, with the broader financials down 0.65 percent and the banks down nearly 1 percent.”

via Wall Street Drops, Led by Banks, as Investors Book Profits – The New York Times

Germans Sent Gold Away But Now Getting It Back

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Photo courtesy PerthMint.com

“FRANKFURT — Germans who never really warmed up to the euro may be able to sleep a little easier.

After decades of being safeguarded overseas, the nation’s gold reserves — a large part of them, at least — are once again safe in Frankfurt.

Not that the gold was ever in danger of being stolen, according to the Bundesbank, the German central bank, which is in charge of the reserves. But the Bundesbank said on Thursday that it had completed a planned transfer of some $13 billion in gold bars that for historical reasons had been stored in vaults deep below Lower Manhattan.

Whether gold matters anymore is questionable in an age of Bitcoin and digital payments. Even paper money is losing importance.

But at least for some Germans, many of them nostalgic for the deutsche mark, gold provides reassurance that the embattled euro is underpinned by something tangible.” Continue reading the full article via Germans Sent Gold Away to Keep It From the Soviets. Now Much of It Is Back. – The New York Times

Could Gold Be the Answer?

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17Mr. Seth A. Klarman has been one of the most successful value investors over the last thirty years. His opinion is highly sought after. Recently he wrote a letter to his investors cautioning them about a Trump Presidency and what that may mean for the market.

“While Mr. Klarman clearly is hoping for the best, he warned, “If things go wrong, we could find ourselves at the beginning of a lengthy decline in dollar hegemony, a rapid rise in interest rates and inflation, and global angst.”

While gold investment is not explicitly mentioned in this article, it’s interesting that another article has emerged today in The Wall Street Journal about investors seeking refuge in gold.  Read the whole article here at the NYT.

via A Quiet Giant of Investing Weighs In on Trump – The New York Times

E-cigarettes ‘just as harmful as tobacco’ for oral health – Medical News Today

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Photo courtesy of NPR

The researchers note that nicotine is a known contributor to gum disease, but e-cigarette flavoring appeared to exacerbate the cell damage caused by e-cigarette vapor, with menthol-flavored vapor posing the most harm.

While further research is needed to investigate the long-term effects of e-cigarette use, Rahman and team believe their findings indicate that the devices may have negative implications for oral health.”

via E-cigarettes ‘just as harmful as tobacco’ for oral health – Medical News Today