Oil Pulling

Posted by Dr Anthony Huang on August 16th, 2019

What is Oil Pulling?
Oil pulling is a technique that has been done for thousands of years by ancient traditions to cleanse your body, heal your body, aid your body and detoxify your body. It’s an Ayurvedic method to help draw out toxins from your body. Our body naturally detoxifies all day and overnight. While you’re sleeping is the best time for your liver and your organs of detoxification to do their work. When you wake up you will often find that kind of film on your tongue so it’s best to do it right after you wake up. You may need to gently scrape your tongue first using a tongue scrapper to remove the film and then do the oil pulling practice to help whiten your teeth and freshen your breath.

What type of oils can be used in oil pulling?
Most people use coconut because it has anti fungal and anti microbial properties that will kill of bad bacteria that is in your mouth and support the growth of good bacteria. However, you have to overcome the slight chunkiness of coconut oil when you put it in your mouth but it will liquefy very quickly. You can also use olive oil, sesame oil or any vegetable based oil. One other thing that you can do in your oil pulling if you want to get additional flavor and additional benefits is to add a drop or two of essential oils. You can use Frankincense which helps support immunity. You can use Lavender which helps your gums. You can also use Tea Tree Oil or blend that has cloves or cinnamon which help kill off bad bacteria. Make sure to choose a type of essential oil that is labeled as safe for internal use. Although you are not swallowing the oil, there will be remnant of the oil in your mouth or just in case you accidentally swallow some oil.

How to Oil Pull?
To start, you just need a tablespoon of oil. Simply put the oil in your mouth and lightly swish it in between your teeth for about 10 to 20 minutes. You need to spit the oil in a cup or in a trash can to prevent clogging your water drainage or sink as it hardens. Make sure to not digest the oil because it has drawn out toxins from our body and from our gums so we want to get rid of it. After that you’re going to rinse your mouth with warm water and then finally, brush your teeth and floss as you normally would. It is recommended to do this every day for two weeks straight and after that twice a week to bring your dental and oral health to the next level.

Benefits of Oil Pulling
Oil Pulling can help heal and cure tooth decay. It is shown to reduce plaque and gum disease. It’s been shown to distinctively brighten your teeth and removes discoloration. It reduces bad bacteria in your mouth that cause bad breath and leaves the good bacteria intact. It strengthens your teeth and jaw muscles and overall cleanses your mouth. And some people claim it also help with their weight loss. This is also a great thing to do to naturally freshen up your breath and give you a glowing smile.

The Bottom Line
Scientific studies and research on the benefits and evidence whether Oil Pulling is effective is very limited. However, this technique is an affordable and safe addition to your existing oral health routine to improve your oral health. This should not be used as an alternative of your traditional oral hygiene routine, such as brushing your teeth, flossing, getting routine check up and cleaning with your dentist in Parramatta.