What exactly is oil pulling. Oil pulling is the act of swishing oil in the mouth, removing bacteria and helping with your oral care.
It can Kill off bacteria...
This is going to seem gross. But there are around 700 types of bacteria in your mouth alone. and there are certain types that can cause tooth decay, bad breath and gum disease. In studies that have been done on children using antibacterial mouth wash and coconut oil the results were that there were much lower counts of bacteria in the saliva than those who didn't use either.
It can reduce bad breath.
Causes of bad breath can be from tongue coating, poor oral hygiene or gum disease or even bacteria that hasn't been able to leave the mouth.
Halitosis is also known as bad breath and the removal of bad breath is usually done with mouth wash which contains chlorhexidine. Another study showed that children using oil pulling had significant results in reducing the bacteria that cause bad breath. As much as the mouth wash. So using oil pulling is wonderful as a natural alternative.
May help with the prevention of cavities.
Cavities can be causes by eating too many sweets or sugar laden foods as well as not brushing our keeping up an healthy oral care routine, leading to a back up of bacteria which then causes cavities. Plaque is a coating that covers the teeth and is a combination of bacteria, saliva and remnants of food that in turn causes the teeth to develop holes called cavities. Again oil pulling has been documented as reducing the bacteria that forms so reducing cavities.
Is cheap easy and natural.
It is a natural alternative to using mouthwash that has chemicals in it. You usually already have in your pantry and it is easy to do. The hardest part is the initial part, getting it into your mouth. I use coconut oil so it is not liquid and that is a little gross to start out but then it is fine thereafter. The taste is good too and once I am finished I have a nice coconutty flavour in my mouth. Oh and my lips are nice and soft too.
How Do I do it?
Oil pulling is easy to do and involves just a few simple steps.
Measure one tablespoon of oil, such as coconut, or olive oil.
Swish it around in your mouth for 15–20 minutes, being careful not to swallow any.
Spit the oil into the rubbish bin once you're done. You don't want to clog your sink.
Rinse your mouth well using water before eating or drinking anything.
Repeat these steps a few times per week or up to three times daily. You may also want to work your way up, starting with swishing for just 5 minutes and increasing the duration until you're able to do it for a full 15–20 minutes.