Oil Pulling for Dental Health
Oil pulling is thought to help remove bacteria and improve oral hygiene by breaking through plaque barrier and drawing toxins out of your body. The concept is simple: you swish a couple teaspoons of oil (common choices are coconut, sesame or olive oils) around the mouth for 10 to 20 minutes. This is done primarily to support dental health, which in turn supports overall health. Reported benefits include: Better breath, stronger teeth and gums, whiter teeth, cavity and gingivitis prevention.
Oil Pulling Instructions
- Put 1-4 teaspoons of oil into the mouth. The oil traditionally used in oil pulling is organic sesame oil, and this is also the oil that has been the most studied for use in oil pulling. It is also possible to do oil pulling with organic coconut oil or organic olive oil. Whichever oil you choose, place up to 1 tablespoon in the mouth.
- Swish for 5 to 20 minutes. Timing is key, according to Dr. Bruce Fife, author of Oil Pulling Therapy, as a full 20 minutes is long enough to break through plaque and bacteria but not so long that the body starts re-absorbing the toxins and bacteria. The oil will get thicker and milky as it mixed with saliva and it should be creamy-white when spit out. It will also double in volume during this time due to saliva. At first, it can be difficult to make it the full 20 minutes; starting off with 5-10 minutes is fine!
- Spit oil into the trash can. Don’t spit into the sink! The oil may thicken and clog pipes. Do not swallow the oil as it is hopefully full of bacteria, toxins and pus that are now not in the mouth!
- Rinse well. Swish a few times with warm water to get any remaining oil out of the mouth. Some sources recommend swishing with warm salt water.
- Brush well. Revitin toothpaste is the recommended toothpaste for supporting the healthy microbial balance in the mouth.
