Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic ritual designed to naturally eliminate toxicity from the blood, tongue and teeth. It’s practiced by swishing pure oil around in your mouth for the purpose of drawing toxins from your body. This practice has been used for thousands of years.
Each individual tooth usually has anywhere from 1,000-10,000 bacteria and each tiny bacteria has a fatty outer coating. The oil attracts the cells of microorganisms, which are covered with a fatty membrane that adheres to the oil. In other words, the oil you’re swishing attracts the oily bacteria. And then you can simply spit out the bacteria with the oil.
Liquid oil has the ability to get to hard to reach areas around the teeth and mouth. So it stands to reason that it can pick up bacteria a toothbrush or floss might miss.
Keep in mind, while oil pulling can be beneficial, it mustn’t be used to replace your existing oral care routine. It’s important to brush and floss your teeth every day.
The process of oil pulling involves putting up to a tablespoon of oil into your mouth and swishing it between your teeth for around 20 minutes. However, there’s no need to be vigorous with the swishing. That would only make your jaw tired. You should be swishing softly enough that your tongue is doing very little work and your jaws are relaxed.
So, here’s the deal, there’s no set rule for exactly how much or how long to pull the oil through your teeth. Some of you may find you can only tolerate a teaspoon for 5 minutes, as an example. Others may wish to use a full tablespoon and swish for 20 minutes or longer. When you first start doing it your tolerance may be low but as you continue on you’ll find it gets much easier to keep the oil in your mouth for longer.
As you swish the oil will approximately double in volume as it mixes with your saliva. When you spit it out you’ll notice it’s a milky white color.
Spit the oil out into the garbage can or another receptacle. Rinse your mouth with water to remove any residue that may be left behind. I usually brush & floss after Oil pulling. Sometimes before, but usually after. It’s up to you.
Important Note: Never spit the oil into the sink, toilet or any other drain. Over time it will clog your plumbing system. And you certainly don’t want that!
Another Important Note: Never swallow the oil! After swishing it through your teeth and gums to adhere to the bacteria, always spit it out into the garbage can or some other hazmat container. At times I use some form of a disposable container like an empty jar or supplement container. Swallowing the oil will negate the benefits by delivering the toxins into your body and could make you sick. Just don’t do it!
It’s important to use a high-quality carrier oil such as organic coconut oil, organic olive oil, organic sunflower oil or organic sesame oil. Personally, I use coconut oil but have experimented with sesame & sunflower oils as well. The best rule of thumb is to always go organic and remember that the oil you choose should be edible.
The consensus is it whitens teeth the best. Another compelling reason for choosing coconut oil is because it tastes better than other oils. Since you’ll have it in your mouth for a while you’ll want to like the taste, right?
But most importantly, in my opinion, is the fact that coconut oil contains lauric acid which literally breaks through the fatty barrier and kills the bacteria. Lastly, coconut oil has Vitamin K, promoting healthy bones & preventing blood clots and the powerful antioxidant Vitamin E.
As a side note, coconut oil will be solid up to 76 degrees Fahrenheit but will melt pretty quickly. However, you can buy liquid coconut oil if you have an aversion to putting the solid oil in your mouth. Weirdly, I kind of like the feeling of pulling the solid oil through my teeth. I’m probably the only one..:)
There are debates as to whether to add essential oils to your oil pulling solution due to the problems that may be associated with amalgam fillings. Therefore if you have amalgam (silver fillings) in your teeth, err on the side of caution and forego the essential oils.
For oral care, the benefits of oil pulling include:
Oil pulling whitens your teeth!
Additionally, you will see benefits including:
Oil pulling is even touted as a hangover cure! I’m certainly going to remember that the next time I have the white wine flu!
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Here are a couple of studies I found on Oil Pulling~
Effect of oil pulling on Streptococcus mutans count in plaque and saliva using Dentocult SM Strip mutans test: a randomized, controlled, triple-blind study. Journal of the Indian Society of Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry. 26(1):12-7, 2008 Mar
Effect of oil pulling on plaque induced gingivitis: A randomized, controlled, triple-blind study Indian Journal of Dental Research
I like to make my own oil pulling solution with essential oils to really get good bacteria-busting results. (But remember, if you have amalgam (silver) fillings take caution with essential oils.)
Here is a super simple recipe you can use to make your own oil pulling solution.
You’ll need:
~~You can use one, all three or a combination that you prefer. For a 4 ounce container, I like to use about 20-25 drops of essential oil. I’ll typically do 10 drops of peppermint, 10 drops of wintergreen, 3 drops of clove and 2 drops of cinnamon. Cinnamon can be very HOT so try to keep it to 3 drops or less.
You can also use tea tree and myrrh if you like.
My two favorite essential oil brands are Edens Garden and Plant Therapy.
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For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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