Does Oil Pulling Actually Work?

What is Oil Pulling?

Oil pulling has gained great momentum for its claims of naturally cleaning your mouth and whitening your teeth. It's popularity may be recent but its history is old. It is a traditional remedy from ancient India used to improve oral hygiene with a whole host of other health benefits. According to some of the most recent scientific research, “It is believed to cure more than thirty systemic diseases when practiced regularly and as directed.”

Oil Pulling (specifically with cold pressed coconut oil) not only fights diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus, it also...

improves your overall oral health
has been shown to effectively whiten teeth, which is a HUGE plus because artificial whiteners can break down your enamel and lead to overall poor oral health at the cost of a white smile
generates antioxidants
reduces plaque which in turn reduces gingivitis, bleeding gums, periodontitis, and bad breath
helps with dry throats and chapped lips
helps reduce tooth pain
is believed to stimulate the brain and make senses more vivid

Why is Oil Pulling necessary?

There’s a reason babies and toddlers insist on putting everything into their mouth. This is the way they experience the world. The mouth is their means of connecting. This is part of human development. As adults, we too interact with the world through our mouths- eating, talking, kissing, singing, breathing. A lot of what we experience in the world enters (or exits) our mouth… in pleasant and maybe some not so pleasant ways… That being said, it’s important to not just use and abuse our mouth, but to take good care of it.

How to Do Oil Pulling

Now, if you type in oil pulling into google, you’ll find a bit of variety of how to do it. What I’ll go over here is what is recommended by the latest scientific research but feel free to customize it to you.

Right when you wake up, before you’ve eaten or brushed your teeth, place a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth. Coconut oil at room temperature is a solid, but it melts very quickly. As it melts, swish it around your mouth so all parts have been exposed. (A teaspoon would be sufficient for a child.)
At the end of the 20 mins, the oil should become watered down and look more white or even yellowish. That’s all your bacteria, people! That proves it’s actually doing something! Spit that out into the sink.
After, you want to wash out your mouth with water and then brush! That’s it! Takes a little time but the steps are easy! For those of you who have done teeth whitening before, it’s just as arduous of a process except you aren’t introducing chemicals into your mouth and body.
*Careful not to swallow the oil- it contains bacteria and toxins so do your best to keep that either in your mouth or in your sink.*

Also, based on all the articles I’ve gone over, coconut oil is the most recommended. Cold pressed coconut oil is best because it doesn’t have any trans fats. Go to your local health store and you should have some options.

Just a Few Studies that Prove Its Benefits:

Shanbhag, Vagish Kumar L. "Oil Pulling for Maintaining Oral Hygiene – A Review." Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine. Elsevier, Jan. 2017. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

"Effect of Coconut Oil in Plaque Related Gingivitis - A Preliminary Report."Nigerian Medical Journal : Journal of the Nigeria Medical Association.U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

"Effect of Oil Pulling on Plaque Induced Gingivitis: A Randomized, Controlled, Triple-blind Study." Indian Journal of Dental Research : Official Publication of Indian Society for Dental Research. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

Go and enjoy! Oil pulling benefits are seen the most after 7 consecutive days of doing it.

Cheers to a whiter smile and good breath! :)