Really, what the heck?
Some of you may have heard of this weird habit of swishing oil in your mouth.
You may have seen it shared by a health geekie on Pinterest or the amazing internet world in general.
You may have heard about it from your hippie friend. And now you may be wondering if this is some kind of a hoax.
Well so did I.
It turns out it is a very ancient Ayurvedic practice.
The idea behind it is pretty simple- the oil is “sticky” and when you swish it around in your mouth bacteria gets stuck in the oil & dissolves.
Before trying this out, I was very, very skeptical.
Not only did it seem to be strange as a habit,
but had even weirder benefits, apparently.
I discovered all this precious information here
So I thought, why the hell wouldn’t I just try it out?
At this time, I was dealing with gum issues. I had even gone to the dentist who took a look at my gums and gave me a pitiful look, only to later tell me that they were weak as hell and that I needed to get some treatment for gingivitis, as they were kind of falling apart. How lovely.
So without even really considering that this would help me with this situation, I found a jar of coconut oil and started oil pulling.
The first time I did this wasn’t the most enjoyable experience.
But I kept doing it everyday and the crazy thing was that just under a month, my gums where looking way healthier. Not only did I post-pone this treatment appointment but I cancelled it. It was like my gum issue never happened! Oh, and I found my teeth to be whiter, who wouldn’t like that??
So I still do this every day, right when I hop into the shower in the morning. I also found it has a relaxing, ritual-like effect on me the more I do it, and my teeth really look healthier than ever.
HOW TO OIL PULL:
- Pick an oil, you can use ORGANIC coconut oil or any other vegetable based oil (Sesame/ Sunflower/ or Olive). I prefer coconut cause the taste is great, it also has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, & anti-inflammatory powers.
- Put anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon, depending on what you can handle, in your mouth & swish for 20 minutes. It’s hard the first time, but time eventually flies by when you get used to it. Get distracted, read a magazine or something, treat yourself while you’re at it 🙂 and do not swallow, as it’s full of the bacteria you are trying to get rid of.
- When your 20 minutes are over, spit it out into a dumping bag or the trash. Do not spit it into your sink because it may mess up your pipes!
WHEN TO OIL PULL:
It is better to do so first thing in the morning as this is the moment when the bacteria count in your mouth is the highest. Although, it is still beneficial done at any time of the day. Some people have even replaced the regular toothbrushing with an all-oil-pulling regime and, as it does magic in removing bacteria from your mouth, it’s more than sufficient for oral hygiene.
Try it out and let us know what you think!
Credits: Images and Illustrations by Linda Dieschbourg.