Oil Pulling for Oral Health


Do your gums bleed when you floss? Are your gums receding? Does your tongue have a white or yellow coat on it?  Do you have bad breath? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should try this ancient technique used to keep the mouth, teeth, gums, and tongue clean!

Oil pulling is an old remedy that originated in India thousands of years ago. In fact, ancient Ayurveda texts claim oil pulling may cure about 30 systemic diseases! As reported by the Indian Journal of Dental Research, “oil pulling has been used…to strengthen teeth, gums, and jaws and to prevent decay, oral malodor, bleeding gums, and dryness of throat and cracked lips.” Oil pulling uses the concept of “like dissolves like” – you swish a couple of teaspoons of oil in your mouth for 20 minutes to clean your teeth and gums. It may seem contradictory to use oil to clean your mouth, but oil is able to cut through plaque and remove toxins without causing any harm to your teeth or gums. Oil pulling helps kill bad bacteria in your mouth, such as Candida and Streptococcus, which produce toxic waste products can contribute to plaque accumulation and tooth decay.

Your mouth is intimately tied to the health of your heart, digestive system, skin, immune system, and thus your overall health. Keeping your mouth clean and teeth and gums healthy can help keep your skin clear, support joint health, respiratory health, and more.

Oils such as coconut, olive, sesame, and sunflower are most commonly used for oil pulling. However, I recommend using organic coconut oil because it is antibacterial and anti-viral so it is well suited for oral hygiene.

 

How to do oil pulling:

  1. Put 1-2 tsp of organic coconut oil in your mouth. You can add extra flavor and antimicrobial support by adding 1 drop of a high quality essential oil, such as clove or sweet orange.*
  2. Swish for 20 minutes – long enough to break through plaque and bacteria.
  3. Spit oil into the trash can (especially using coconut oil – it will gunk up your pipes)
  4. Rinse with warm water and brush your teeth.
  5. If you have severe periodontal disease, gingivitis, or other oral health concerns, repeat this process twice daily.
  6. It may take up to 2 weeks to see results.

*Essential oils are not for internal use. Do not use more than 1 drop and do not swallow.

 

 

 

Resources:

  • S Asokan, J Rathan, MS Muthu, PV Rathna, P Emmadi, Raghuraman, Chamundeswari.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
  • TD Anand, C Pothiraj, RM Gopinath, et al. Effect of oil-pulling on dental caries causing bacteria. African Journal of Microbiology Research, Vol 2:3 pp 63-66, MAR 2008.
  • HV Amith, Anil V Ankola, L Nagesh. Effect of Oil Pulling on Plaque and Gingivitis. Journal of Oral Health & Community Dentistry: 2007; 1(1):Pages 12-18
  • S Thaweboon, J Nakaparksin, B Thaweboon. Effect of Oil-Pulling on Oral Microorganisms in Biofilm Models. Asia Journal of Public Health: 2011 May-Aug.
  • B Purohit, A Singh. Tooth brushing,oil pulling and tissue regeneration: A review of holistic approaches to oral  J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2011 Apr;2(2):64-8. doi: 10.4103/0975-9476.82525. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21760690
  • S Asokan ,RSkumar, P Emmadi, R Raghuraman, N Sivakumar. Effect of oil pulling on halitosis and microorganisms causing halitosis: a randomized controlled pilot trial. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent. 2011 Apr-Jun;29(2):90-4. doi: 10.4103/0970-4388.84678. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21911944
  • P Sood, MA Devi, R Narang, VS, DK Makkar. Comparative efficacy ofoil pulling and chlorhexidine on oral malodor: a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Diagn Res. 2014 Nov;8(11):ZC18-21. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2014/9393.5112. Epub 2014 Nov 20. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25584309
  • FC Peedikavil, P Sreenivasan, A Narayanan. Effect of coconutoil in plaque related gingivitis – A preliminary report. Niger Med J. 2015 Mar-Apr;56(2):143-7. doi: 10.4103/0300-1652.153406. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25838632
  • S Asokan, TK Rathinasamy, N Inbamani, T Menon, SS Kumar, P Emmadi, R Raghuraman. Mechanism of oil-pulling therapy – in vitro study. Indian J Dent Res.2011 Jan-Feb;22(1):34-7. doi: 10.4103/0970-9290.79971. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21525674

 

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