Oil pulling for better oral health? The concept is fast becoming a trend yet it is not something new. The origin of oil pulling dates back to as far as 3, 000 years ago, and is rooted from a traditional Indian system called Ayurvedic medicine. With its popularity, I have here a list of things you should know.

Who knew detoxifying the gums, whitening the teeth and fight bad oral bacteria already existed thousands of years ago? When I tried to look into oil pulling, I was quite surprised of its long history. It only goes to show just how important oral health is. But what is it really?

Have You Heard Of Oil Pulling? Things You Need To Know

It is a simple swishing of oil inside the mouth for a couple of minutes, usually 20 minutes, to promote oral health. Coconut, sesame or sunflower oil are usually used for this. Even very young children can do this for as long as they already know how to spit out the oil used in swishing.

Here’s more information on oil pulling you need to know:

1. It’s beneficial

People who have tried oil pulling swear by its effectiveness in decreasing the occurrence of plaque. It also results in whiter and less sensitive teeth as well as glowing skin. The oil is able to take out the plaque plus it also removes the toxins inside the mouth without doing any harm to the teeth or gums.

2. It’s easy

Doing it is very easy. Place one to two teaspoons of oil in the mouth then gargle for 20 minutes. Spit oil out, thoroughly rinse with warm water then brush. It’s ideal to do this once a day every morning, but if that’s too much for you, you can opt to do it every other day, instead.

3. It’s not a substitute for brushing teeth

While oil pulling kills bacteria, it’s not a substitute for brushing the teeth. Brushing is still needed after every meal to prevent tooth decay and gum diseases. It’s only a supplement to oral care.

4. Choose the oil for you

Coconut, sesame, and sunflower oils do not have the same effect on your oral health. Thus, use coconut oil to whiten teeth, and it’s also more effective in eliminating particular bacteria. Sesame oil, on the other hand, is most commonly used to freshen breath and treatment of migraine.

5. Never swallow the oil

After swishing the oil for several minutes, it already accumulated bacteria so swallowing it is not a good idea. Spit the oil in a trash can, not in the sink, to avoid clogging the drain by the time it solidifies.

If you’re concerned about the length of time you have to observe while oil pulling, you can actually start with just five minutes until you get the hang of it. This is what I did when I tried it out for the first time. I then worked my way through until I was able to swish it inside my mouth for 20 minutes.

Here’s more idea on oil pulling from Holistic Habits:

Are you going to try oil pulling one of these days? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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