Oil pulling is an ancient ayurvedic technique for maintaining oral hygiene. It emerged long before dentists began telling us that only they can remove tooth plaque and tartar, and heal the gum pockets. The truth is, many of them are not even aware of this procedure. All you will need is some good quality, organic extra virgin oil.
How to Perform Oil Pulling
Swish a tablespoon of oil in your mouth on an empty stomach. Make sure you don’t drink water or anything else before starting the procedure. Use extra virgin coconut oil, extra virgin cold pressed sunflower or sesame oil.
Try to keep your chin slightly up during the entire process. Make sure the oil reaches every corner of the mouth. Do not swallow the oil! After 20-30 minutes the oil should feel watery. A the end spit out the watery oil into the garbage bin. Don’t spit out into the sink. This is because oil can lead to blockage of the drainpipes. Scrape your tongue thoroughly with the tongue scraper. Do this procedure for 20-30 minutes every morning for two weeks.
Bad breath is very possible for the first couple of days because bacteria gets pulled out. Use mouthwash after each procedure and brush your teeth as usual. After a couple of days, the tongue does not normally require any scraping at all and will be already clean from the procedure. See an article on why tongue cleaning is important here!
Oil Pulling Benefits: Reverse periodontitis Progression, Remove Coffee Stains from the Teeth, Remove Harmful Bacteria from the Oral Cavity
The benefits of oil pulling may include a possible improvement of the periodontitis condition. There have been real stories when periodontitis progression was stopped and significantly reversed, essentially saving all the teeth. Another possible positive effect of the procedure is teeth whitening and removing stains caused by coffee consumption or smoking. An additional observed benefit is an increase in overall energy due to improved metabolism. So, you can probably even skip your morning coffee.
Oil pulling can eliminate a large amount of various bacteria from the mouth, both “bad” (pathogenic) and “good”. It is considered, that the different microflora species in the body are in competition with one another. Removing a lot of bacteria from one part of the body can provide an opportunity for other microflora species to grow. Candida (a fungi species) is one of the unhealthy microorganisms naturally occurring in the mouth. It can begin growing in the absence of other competing flora and cause candidosis, which can spread to the intestinal tract.
Oral Probiotics and their Benefits
To prevent this, it would be very beneficial to replenish the oral microflora. These can be lost during the oil pulling, after using antibacterial mouthwash, taking antibiotics, etc. Replenishing microflora can be achieved by supplementing with some “healthy” bacteria, specifically designed to settle in the oral cavity. This will help shifting the bacterial equilibrium to the healthy side.
Oral probiotics usually come in chewable form, like lozenges. The benefits of maintaining “good” microflora in the mouth are many. To name a few, they are fresher breath, healthier gums, plaque prevention, reduction of gingivitis symptoms. Also, remember that the mouth is the gateway to the body. Many pathogens first develop in the mouth and then make their way down the digestive tract. Maintaining healthy microflora is the best way to prevent this scenario.
