You’re pulling my leg – Oil Pulling??
There are two reasons oil pulling attracted me.
- We’re talking oil, and unless we’re talking oil of the motor vehicle variety, I’m standing at attention, ready to learn.
- I’ve had at least two friends benefit from oil pulling, whether it be whiter teeth, better report from the dentist, and/or fresher breath.
It’s Like Pulling Teeth, But it’s Not
By that I mean starting a new habit feels like pulling teeth (… probably too close of a theme here to be messing with idioms). But here’s how to get into the habit:
- Multi-task. At the suggestion of a Facebook friend, I decided that locking the bathroom door (I, ahem, found that part was important) and pulling oil while showering made the process easier to do.
- Threaten yourself: no breakfast until oil pulling is complete.
Pull out all the stops – A How To…
- Bacteria in your mouth are at their worst in the morning, so oil pull before breakfast.
- Take a spoonful of coconut oil and swish it in your mouth for 15-20 minutes. Don’t gargle, don’t swallow it, just swish it. You can use other oils, and you can add an essential oil for flavor.
- Visualize the oil “pulling” the bacteria, both good and bad, out from between your teeth, under your tongue and from the sides of your mouth. It apparently works better than mouthwash because the oil you’re swishing is attracting the fatty membranes of the microorganisms (oil combines with oil whereas oil and water do not combine).
- When your time is up, spit out the oil. Now you can take a toothbrush and brush your teeth, with or without toothpaste.
- Go eat breakfast (and then brush your teeth as usual).
- Now that wasn’t so bad, was it? If you feel your teeth are in bad shape (prone to tooth decay, gingivitis, gum disease), it’s recommended to pull up to three times a day.
My information came from Dr. Bruce Fife’s book Oil Pulling Therapy. He recommends a healthy diet, plenty of fluid consumption and reguar flossing and brushing, but you were already doing that, right?
Somehow, we’ll pull it off!
Let’s do this! Are you up for the challenge? Try it for a month and see if there are any benefits or improvements. Take a photo of your teeth to compare. And leave a comment here if you’re planning on oil pulling for the month of October.
13 comments. Leave new
Very interesting! I've never heard of this before but will give it a try! I have some coconut oil that has not been open yet… time to open it tomorrow morning!
Way to go, you guys!
Is anyone adding an essential oil for flavor? By the way, this doesn't replace teeth-brushing; you can still brush with your regular tooth paste or with a homemade version.
@Melissa-I was going to ask how to swish oil in my mouth for 15 minutes in the morning if I can't breathe thru my nose at that time. It has helped your congestion?
I haven't done this, but just a few months after starting on coconut oil (about a tablespoon ingested) each morning, the report from my dental appointment was greatly improved. That was the only thing that changed!
If I can remember in the morning I'm going to give it a try, but maybe with a different oil so it will already be liquid.
@Kelly-It sounds strange, but I actually have a cold right now (sore throat, headache, etc.) but have experienced VERY little congestion, and I truly think it's because of the oil-pulling. I also brush my teeth with a homemade coconut oil & baking soda toothpaste.
The coconut oil melts very quickly in your mouth, and if you use 1 tsp or so, it's not cumbersome at all. I enjoy the flavor of the oil a lot, so I haven't added any mint oil to mine, but I do add it to my toothpaste.
For those interested, my toothpast recipe is:
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil
3 Tbsp Baking Soda
30-50 drops (or one small dropper full) of peppermint oil
1-2 packets of Stevia in the raw (depending on how sweet you want it)
My teeth were already getting whiter from using that toothpaste, but since pulling oil, my gums have improved, a small cavity in one of my molars (I have a dental appt. Monday) has stopped bothering me, and (this probably sounds the weirdest) but tastebuds seem to be working better!
@Renee-I tried sesame oil one morning… BLEH!
Thanks Melissa! I use a similar toothpaste recipe, though my husband and son don't care for the mint, so we use citrus oils. I did manage to do 15 to 20 minutes of pulling this morning and still manage to breathe. I re-read my comment written last night and it doesn't seem clear this morning!! I meant to say I haven't done the pulling yet, but back when I started taking about a tablespoon of coconut oil each morning I got a favorable report from my next dental hygeine appointment. My gums were getting healthier! Ingesting the coco oil was the only thing I had changed so it had to be a result of that.
While I thoroughly enjoy the flavor of coco oil when baking, it bothers me a bit straight. The kind I have right now has a stronger flavor that I'm not pleased with, but it wasn't too bad to pull this morning.
i am trying to post a picture. How do I do that?
Amanda,
I'm not sure you can, unfortunately.
What you can do is email me your picture and I'll hang onto to it until you have an "after" photo to go along with it, and then make that as a new blog post with a bit of Q and A (I'll ask you how often, the procedure, would you do it again, etc). Are you up for that?
You can email me directly: renee(at)hardlotion(dot)com
Renee
I noticed great results with my gums and teeth whitening when I did oil pulling. I need to try it again.
However, I recently heard that you shouldn't oil pull if you have anamalgam (spelling? – you know metal) fillings. Something about oil pulling loosening them. Do you know anything about that?
I'm planning on doing it at least for the next three months! I've done it a handful of times and it's not too bad…I just do it while I'm in the shower in the morning.
I'd love to try this, I do have fillings and I'm pregnant. Does anyone know if oil pulling is safe during pregnancy? My teeth always bother me during and in the months after pregnancy.
Ok I have been doing this on and off for about a week now because I didn't have time to read all the info you put up until now. I will take a picture of my teeth tomorrow but I probably won't post it and then I am going to pull for a month. I know you said Oct but it is almost Dec so I will do it now until the end of that month…I'm an overachiever 😉 This should be interesting!!! Might be back with some questions…
I just stumbled on this as a great resource for oil pulling: http://earthclinic.com/Remedies/oil_pulling.html
Can this be done with Extra Virgin Olive Oil?