Maintaining oral health is vital to ensuring you can continue eating the delicious food you love and smiling without pain or complications. With the importance of taking care of your teeth and mouth, there are many strategies and practices for improving oral health. An increasingly popular holistic dental hygiene practice is oil pulling, which involves swishing edible oil around your mouth for a bit before spitting it out.
Learn more about oil pulling, such as how it works, the benefits and the potential risks of incorporating it into your oral care routine.
How Oil Pulling Works
Oil pulling has been around for thousands of years, originating from ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicinal practices. Swishing about a tablespoon of oil around your mouth helps pull bacteria and toxins from your teeth and gums as the oil moves around and through the spaces between your teeth. By the end of your oil pulling session, the oil should be a frothy, milky color when you spit it out due to the swishing duration and collection of bacteria and toxins.
Types of Oil to Use
There are many types of oils in the world, but only some are suitable for maximizing the benefits of oil pulling due to their health advantages, like antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The following are the most common types of oils used for oil pulling:
- Coconut oil
- Sesame oil
- Sunflower oil
- Olive oil
Oral Health Benefits of Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is a popular holistic dental hygiene practice people follow because of the numerous benefits it offers for oral health. Some of the most common oil pulling benefits include:
- Reducing bad breath: Oil pulling can remove the bad bacteria stored in your mouth that cause bad breath.
- Limiting cavities: Similar to how oil pulling helps reduce bad breath, the practice can also help prevent cavities from developing or worsening because it removes some bacteria that could lead to cavity development.
- Whitening teeth: Though there is no scientific evidence or studies proving oil pulling whitens teeth, there have been testimonies from people who have noticed a difference in the whiteness of their teeth before and after oil pulling.
Risks and Precautions of Oil Pulling
While people have seen and experienced numerous benefits from oil pulling, there are some precautions you should take and be aware of if you’ve never done it before. Some studies have begun to explain the phenomenon of oil pulling, but more research is still needed to prove some benefits, so ensure you research the practice before starting.
Additionally, you could potentially experience oil pulling side effects, such as:
- Gastrointestinal (GI) issues and diarrhea: Though the oil you use is safe to eat, it is not safe to swallow after oil pulling. The collection of toxins and bacteria in the oil could upset your stomach and GI system or cause you to have diarrhea if you swallow any.
- Sore jaw: You could also experience soreness in your jaw after oil pulling. The swishing motions you make with your mouth and jaw could be unfamiliar to your body, resulting in soreness when first starting.
- Weakened enamel: Another danger of coconut oil pulling or oil pulling, in general, is the potential for weakened teeth enamel. Oil pulling could make your teeth more vulnerable to damage over time, especially if you brush right away. Improper technique and prolonged exposure to the oil could weaken enamel.
Speak with your dentist before engaging in oil pulling to obtain a professional opinion and see if the benefits of oil pulling could help improve your oral health.
How to Incorporate Oil Pulling Into Your Oral Care Routine
The best way to see the benefits of oil pulling is alongside other methods you practice for maintaining oral health. It is not a replacement for brushing and flossing.
If you think oil pulling could help improve your oral health, make sure you follow best practices to get the most from the method. For instance, it’s best to oil pull before brushing your teeth in the morning and at night. Doing it before brushing your teeth helps you have a clean mouth because brushing removes any leftover toxins or oil.
If you’re just starting, try to swish for 5 minutes and work your way up to 20 minutes, the optimal amount of time for oil pulling, as it allows the oil to pull out the toxins. It’s also a good practice to oil pull on an empty stomach, especially in the morning, because the oil can bind with bacteria without interference from food particles. Start off with oil pulling a few times a week as you build up the stamina to do it more often. If your face hurts, use less force to swish or less oil.
After your oil pulling sessions, ensure you spit the oil into the trash, not your sink or toilet. Oil buildup could clog your pipes over time, which you want to avoid.
Speak With Your Dentist to Learn More About Oil Pulling
If you’re interested in oil pulling, be sure to speak with your dentist first to see if this holistic practice is right for you. Discuss oil pulling at your next recare appointment, or come in sooner to learn more about cosmetic dentistry or orthodontic services in Idaho, Boise Family Dental Care is here to help. We provide compassionate and quality dental care for individuals and families in the Boise area.
Learn more about our services by contacting us online, or schedule an appointment to get dental care as soon as possible.