The Science Of Oil Pulling: An Ayurvedic Remedy

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Oil pulling is a traditional Ayurvedic remedy used to promote healthy teeth and gums. Much like mouth wash, you swish the oil in your mouth and pull the oil through your teeth, hence, oil pulling. However, instead of swishing for thirty seconds like mouth wash, oil pulling takes anywhere from ten to twenty minutes for the best results.

So what does swishing oil around for twenty minutes actually do? This was my exact thought when I heard of oil pulling. The process doesn’t sound particularly appealing. You can use either sesame oil, sunflower oil, or coconut oil to do this process. I personally, bought sesame oil months ago to try this out and still haven’t touched it. I wanted to make sure the twenty minutes of swishing was worth it, especially since I don’t imagine sesame oil has the best taste.

Here’s What I Found Out…

Like many home remedies, there are a lot of misconceptions and idealizations about the process of oil pulling. There are claims that oil pulling can reverse cavities, prevent heart disease, and cure cancer. While oil pulling can be beneficial to the health and balance of bacteria in our mouths, it’s not a miracle cure for disease.

The misconceptions about oil pulling stem from the idea that the health of our mouths determines the overall health and wellbeing of our body. Many holistic practices hold a significant amount of weight on the health of the mouth. Since the mouth is the pathway to the inside of our body, it makes sense that an imbalance in bacteria in our mouths can lead to disease. In fact, that’s what strep throat is; an imbalance of streptococci bacteria naturally found in our mouths leading to a sore throat.

It is important to note, however, that with more complex diseases in our body, the overall health of our mouth may only play a small factor (if any) in our ailments. Still, a healthy mouth is a step in the right direction when it comes to finding overall balance in our bodies.

So What Does Oil Pulling Actually Do?

It seems that oil pulling is rather equivalent to mouthwash. There are a few more benefits, and also a few setbacks. For example, oil pulling can be beneficial in removing plaque, freshening your breath, and whitening your teeth. Certain bacteria found in our mouths are soluble in oil. This means that the oil is actually grabbing that bacteria and taking the bacteria with it when the oil is spat out.

By balancing the bacteria in our mouth, oil pulling can help prevent cavities, bad breath, and gum disease, remove plaque build-up on our teeth keeping them squeaky clean. This also helps whiten our smile and prevent plaque from moving deeper into our bodies. Unlike mouthwash, oil is less harsh and still allows certain bacteria to be present. In other words, the oil is not completely wiping the slate clean like an alcohol-based mouth wash. Instead, the oil is removing what needs to be removed, allowing the good bacteria to stay present.

It is important to note that oil pulling is not an end all be all and should not be a substitute for brushing or flossing your teeth…please keep brushing and flossing your teeth!!!

The Process Of Pulling

Just like mouthwash, take a small sip of oil and swish it in your mouth for 10 to 20 minutes.

I personally was too afraid to swish sesame oil in my mouth for that long. I was afraid the taste would disgust me and I wouldn’t be able to last for two minutes let alone ten. Instead, I decided to purchase the GuruNanda Pulling Oil. The mixture has mint extract in it to make the taste more bearable as well as freshen your breath.

Because oil pulling is time-consuming, I usually take a small sip and swish while I shower or get ready for my day. This way I don’t have to pay too much attention to the time, and the process moves quickly. I pull first and then brush my teeth with a charcoal and coconut oil toothpaste.

Things To Consider

Oil pulling is natural and effective but that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. It is important to get your hands on safe products. If you have any doubt about the quality of oil or oil mixture, stick to the basics. It’s hard to go wrong with organic coconut oil, and it’s easy to find in most stores.

Have you tried oil pulling? If so, how did you like it? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Sarah