Oil pulling has become a popular and interesting trend, involving swishing a tablespoon of an oil for 20 minutes in your mouth. Oil pulling has show to combat dental issues like gingivitis, plaque, and bad breath through removing the cells skin, covered with lipids and fatty membranes. When these cells are contacted with oil, they will naturally bond together and are eliminated by spitting the oil out. Oil pulling is a great supplement to include in your dental care routine in addition to brushing and flossing. Oils such as olive, sesame, sunflower or coconut are popularly used for oil pulling however organic and unrefined coconut oil has been shown to be the most beneficial due to lauric acid, an antimicrobial agent that is effective in killing bacteria, and may help prevent tooth decay and whiten teeth. It’s very important to use organic unrefined coconut oil because it is natural, pure, and unprocessed and doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals or substances.
According to Dr. Axe’s article additional benefits from Oil Pulling with Unrefined Coconut Oil include:
- Promotes Oral Hygiene
- Eliminates Oral Bacteria
- Boosts Immune System
- Prevents Heart Disease
- Prevents Cavities
- Moisturizes Dry and Cracked Lips
- Strengthens Gums
- Reduces Inflammation and Bleeding in Gums
If you have inflamed and irritated gums, also try rubbing vitamin e oil on the surface of gums, which helps regenerate healthy gum tissue from its array of antioxidants and soothing properties.
How to Begin:
The longer you swish oil in your mouth, the more bacteria is drawn and eliminated from your mouth.
It is difficult to swish oil in your mouth for 20 minutes, so start out at 5 minutes and slowly increase your swishing time, gently swishing and pushing the oil through the teeth without swallowing. Spit the oil into the trash, oil can build up over time and could clog the pipes in your home.
Start with this oil pulling routine 3-4 times per week:
- First thing in the morning before you brush your teeth, take 1-2 tablespoons of unrefined organic coconut oil and begin to swish in your mouth without swallowing.
- Start off by gently swishing the oil throughout the mouth, pulling through the teeth for 5-10 minutes.
- Spit the oil into the trash and follow up with rinsing the mouth with sea salt and warm water, to dissolve any remaining bacteria in the mouth.
- Finally, follow up brushing teeth and flossing as usual.