I’m going to come right out and say I probably wouldn’t have ever explored oil pulling as a practice in my life if it weren’t for my struggles with my teeth. A few years ago I had a gum surgery that was kinda traumatic so I will now do anything to avoid going to the dentist and promote my oral health.

what is oil pulling?

Oil pulling is putting 1 tbsp of coconut oil in your mouth and swishing it around your teeth and gums — like mouthwash — for 10-20 minutes.

This method of teeth cleaning has been used for thousands of years and is popular in Ayurvedic medicine, it definitely works!

what are the benefits?

The main benefit is that it reduces the amount of harmful bacteria in your mouth which results in less bad breath, less cavities, lower risk of gum disease, etc. There are approximately 700 types of bacteria that can live in our mouths and up to 350 of them can be found at any given time –many necessary for a healthy oral microbiome, but many can cause problems if left unchecked.

benefits:

• reduces bad breath
• helps prevent cavities
• reduces inflammation & improves gum health
• whitens teeth
• affordable to access

how does it work?

If you’re thinking, I swish mouthwash, isn’t that the same? Not exactly.

Most commercialized brands of mouthwash aren’t actually doing us the favors we think. It was surprising to read that Listerine was first created in the 1870s and was originally used as an antiseptic to reduce infections after surgery. It was also sold as a floor cleaner. We’re putting this in our mouth?!

Not only is mouthwash colored with artificial food dyes that have been linked to cancer, in order to make them shelf stable, manufacturers also add acidic stabilizing agents that eat away at your tooth enamel making you MORE susceptible to tooth decay.

The reason oil pulling works so well —

The bacteria in our mouth are single-celled organisms, enclosed by a lipid membrane. Bacteria is attracted to the lipid structure of the oil, pulled from the oral tissue, adhering to the fat molecules of the oil, and flushed away by oil pulling and spitting out the oil.

In english, instead of blasting your mouth with a pressure washer getting rid of ALL bacteria, the oil gets rid of what needs to go and leaves the rest (the good bacteria) alone.

how do I do it?

1. Measure out 1 tbsp of either coconut, sesame, or olive oil.
2. Swish it around. your mouth for a minimum of 10 minutes being careful not to swallow any. (It won’t hurt you if you do but you don’t want to swallow bacteria!!)
3. Spit the oil into the garbage when you’re done. DO NOT spit the oil in the sink because it can absolutely harden and clog your drains.
4. Rinse your mouth very well with water.
5. Brush your teeth.
6. Finish with tongue scraping.

my review/experience:

I tried pulling with regular coconut oil and gagged my way through it. I found a holistic product on amazon that is still the same thickness as coconut oil, but it comes pre-melted as a liquid and has added essential oils (peppermint) to give it some flavor.

Every morning right when I wake up I pour a shot, start swishing, and start the stopwatch app on my phone so I can see a running timer. From there I tidy up the kitchen, feed my dogs, or start some laundry until its been at least 10 minutes. The time goes by so fast if you’re keeping yourself busy, I know some people who do their makeup.

I spit it either outside or in the garbage and head to the bathroom to finish up my routine of brushing with this natural fluoride-free toothpaste and scraping my tongue.

I also started off small and built – I started at 2 minutes, went up to 5, then 8, 10. I did start to notice much more of an impact when I started consistently pulling for 10 minutes. I truthfully don’t think anything less than 10 minutes is enough time to “pull” all of the bacteria out so that’s def something to think about.

Without a doubt, my teeth are whiter and my gums are much much healthier (more pink, you can tell). After a few weeks, I thought my teeth were getting worse lol because bits of plaque were literally coming off my teeth. I kept going, and am feeling confident enough in the practice to share my rave review.

I’m a puller for life. The swishing literally pulls bacteria, food, AND plaque, out of every crevice, including below the gum line and the tongue. Rinsing and brushing well AFTER you pull is essential to totally get rid of everything that has been stirred up. I’m excited to see what doing this long term will do –hopefully no more surgeries!!!!