#oil pulling

Especially the alcoholic ones. Even though they can definetly help with bad breath, the benefits are only temporarily and the good bacteria for a healthy mouth flora gets killed too, doing more damage than good in long term perspective. What if – instead of concealing symptoms of wider problems – we'd start supporting our oral health in a way we don't even have to worry about a bad breath in the first place. This is where oil pulling comes into place.

⭐️But what is oil pulling?

Oil pulling is the ayurvedic practice of swishing certain oils around the mouth, similar to mouth wash but for a longer period of time (10-30min). Oils like coconut, black seed or sesame have anti-inflammatory properties, helping against plaque and cavities without disrupting the mouth's flora. If done regularly for a longer period of time, oil pulling can also help with whiter teeth and less bad breath.

🥥And how do I do oil pulling?

Grab yourself one big spoon before teeth flossing and brushing(!)

Add ½ a spoon of coconut oil

optional: fill the rest up with black seed and/or sesame oil

Swirl around in your mouth for 10-30 minutes, preferably Don't swallow!

Spit the oil in the trash. Not the drain, as it will clock it (coconut oil solidifies at 77°F). A more milky colour is normal.

Continue with flossing and then brushing.

This is a life hack to take more proper care of our oral hygiene and is something that I am actually testing out, and I can actually see incredible results in only one week. 

What is oil pulling?

Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that involves swishing oil around in your mouth for several minutes to promote oral health. The process is believed to draw out toxins from the body and improve dental hygiene. The scientific community has mixed opinions on oil pulling. Some small studies have shown reductions in oral bacteria, plaque, and gingivitis, comparable to mouthwash. However, more extensive and rigorous studies are needed to confirm these benefits conclusively.

What are the benefits that oil pulling can have on you?

Improved Oral Hygiene: It is said to reduce plaque, gingivitis, and bad breath.

Whitening of Teeth: Regular practice is believed to help whiten teeth.

Detoxification: Proponents claim it helps detoxify the body, although scientific evidence supporting this is limited only to the part of the mouth.

Relief from Jaw Pain: Some report reduced jaw pain and improved jaw strength.

How do i do oil pulling?

Choose your oil: Coconut oil is a popular choice due to its antimicrobial properties. even though every vegetable oil can be good for this practice.

Measure a tablespoon: Use about a tablespoon or two of oil.

Swish the oil: Swish it around your mouth for 15-20 minutes. Make sure not to swallow it. and it is suggested to do this first thing in the morning to get rid of all the bacteria that accumulates throughout the night. (This is the part that makes your jaw pain go away because you actually exercise your mouth muscles while you do that.)

Spit it out: Spit the oil into a trash can (not the sink, as it can clog pipes).

Rinse and brush: Rinse your mouth with water and then brush your teeth as usual.

Oil pulling is generally considered safe, but it should not replace traditional oral care practices like brushing and flossing.

My thoughts and experiences:

Hang in there! Personal hygiene care IS possible! …you just gotta find what works for you. :)

1. Brush with water (Literally, toothbrush under the faucet and brush brush brush... Something is better than nothing!)

2. Have 1 toothpaste for “deep cleaning” and 1 different toothpaste for “sensory sensitive cleaning” (the frequency for each depends on your personal sensitivities/needs)

- Recommended deep clean toothpaste:

[ something from Sensodyne brand ]

- Recommended sensory toothpaste:

Desert Essence Coconut Mint

(If you hate all flavors of toothpaste, this might be an option. There is some coconut flavor but also tastes like plain flour. Also, ZERO MINT TASTE! WOO!)

Looks like this:

3. Floss with cute Dino tooth picks or with long handle flosser.

If you dislike touching wet floss or just getting hands dirty in general, this long handle flosser is both great and has easy replacement floss heads.

Looks like this:

4. Mouthwash. EVERYONE (neurospicy & neurotypical) should probably use ALCOHOL FREE mouthwash…

But if need something better than alcohol-free mouthwash, there is the Ph-balanced Closys mouthwash Unflavored version.

Tastes as plain as water, ACTUALLY effective in freshening mouth & breath smell, & has alcohol-free plus mint-free version. (Just don’t swallow it. Which is same for all mouthwashes)

Looks like this:

SIDE NOTE: if you are not allergic to coconut… An alternative to buying mouthwash is below.

Doing oil pulling method with Coconut Oil is healthy for your mouth & teeth. (Again, don’t swallow—because oil has picked up and grabbed yucky bacteria in mouth and you don’t want that re-entering body.

But also… don’t spit into sink. Spit out into trash can or toilet, and you’re done.)

Hope this helps someone!

Hi friends! I have heard great things about oil pulling for a few months, and Ive been practicing it daily for weeks now. It’s been stated many times that Oil Pulling is part of the venerable tradition of Ayurvedic health care, which has been called the oldest health care system in the world. While many modern dentists and doctors have acknowledged that the anti bacterial effect could be helpful, I found few go father than that… until I found this article, which has 35 references for all the ways oil pulling benefits your oral and overall hygiene (written by Vagish Kumar L. Shanbhag). Read on and discover how this stunningly cheap method can benefit your overall health.

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“Oil pulling activates salivary enzymes which absorb toxins such as chemical toxins, bacterial toxins and environmental toxins from the blood and removed from the body through the tongue.”

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“Four researchers in their study involving 60 adolescents of age 16–18 years with plaque induced gingivitis, observed statistically significant reduction of plaque and gingival indices upon oil pulling using coconut oil.”

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“Modified Gingival Index and plaque index by Sillness and Loe were measured at baseline and on days 1, 7, 15 and 30. Steady decline in indices was found from day seven. Plaque and gingival indices significantly decreased after 30 days of oil pulling. The study observed 50% decreases in gingival and plaque indices after four weeks which is comparatively similar to results produced by chlorhexidine. They concluded that oil pulling with coconut oil is helpful in decreasing plaque formation and plaque induced gingivitis.”

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“Three authors carried out a microbiological study on the effect of sesame oil pulling on plaque, gingivitis and colony forming bacteria. Twenty subjects of the study performed oil pulling for 15–20 min daily for a period of forty five days. The study observed that oil pulling resulted in statistically significant decrease in plaque, gingival scores and bacterial counts.”

Link to the Full wright up: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5198813/#:~:text=Oil%20pulling%20activates%20salivary%20enzymes,the%20body%20through%20the%20tongue.

J Tradit Complement Med. 2017 Jan; 7(1): 106–109. Published online 2016 Jun 6.

Oil pulling for maintaining oral hygiene – A review