Best strat for healthy teeth n’ gums
Pulling oil? You may wonder, skeptical why it’s called that. While dentists recommend brushing, flossing, and mouth wash, there’s a technique that may just be more ancient than dentists themselves- and that’s Oil Pulling.
“It is a common belief that oral health serves as a gateway to general health,” whether in showing that those with periodontal disease is more common with diabetics, or that a thorough study of the gums can tell deficiencies in vitamins, like Vitamin C (NIH). Also, because the build-up of food particles can invite bacteria, good oral hygiene helps your immune system too.
What is it?
“Oil pulling or oil swishing… involves vigorous swishing of oil in the oral cavity to achieve local and systemic benefits, similar to the modern day use of mouthwashes and oral rinses.
Also,
“The process of oil swishing is believed to cure or control 30 different types of systemic diseases including headaches, migraine, and chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes mellitus. The effects of oil pulling on oral health, as an adjunct to conventional oral hygiene measures have been exemplary. Scientific evidence suggests that oil pulling therapy may reduce the total oral bacterial count and reduce plaque and gingival scores.”
So in a sense, oil pulling works from the inside out. And what’s pretty amazing (in which I’ve personally benefitted from) is this,
“Oil pulling isn’t only good at preventing oral infections, but can actively fight them as well. The oil pulls the infection (bacteria, toxins, and pus) out of the tissues, allowing the body to heal itself. Inflammation is quieted, gums stop bleeding, loose teeth tighten, and pain and sensitivity vanish. Teeth become whiter, and gums become pinker and healthier looking.” - CoconutResearchCenter
That’s really quite an achievement for something so simple! Yet, if toothbrushes like today weren’t invented until 1498, what else did people use? While they did use chew sticks, they also foraged for tubers having antibacterial properties. However, I don’t quite buy this article that I sourced from that says farming wasn’t invented till later- considering that Cain (ya know, son of Adam and Eve) was a farmer. While humans appeared to have many abrasive methods throughout history, in addition to good diets, this doesn’t always remove all ailments. That’s where oil pulling comes in, because a liquid can get everywhere in the mouth rather than certain areas.
Oils
Having “been used for centuries for the treatment and prevention of various oral and systemic diseases, using edible oils derived from either sunflower, sesame, and coconut.”
Why these specific oils? Let’s take a looksy.
“Sesame oil is found to be effective in reducing bacterial growth and adhesion. Toxins and bacteria from the body might be expelled through the tongue and trapped in the oil and removed from the body.5 Sesame oil was demonstrated to have antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans. It contains high amounts of unsaturated fatty acids. Linoleic acid and oleic acid are the predominant compositions. Oil-pulling therapy with sesame oil significantly reduced S. mutans counts in plaque and saliva of adolescents within 1 week.” - CoconutResearchCenter
“Besides the health and nutritional benefits, coconut oil has been shown to have anti-carcinogenic effects against colon tumors. Recently, results from many studies revealed that the monolaurin, the monoglycerides of lauric acid from coconut oil had antimicrobial activity against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms… leading to the death of the bacteria.” - CoconutResearchCenter
In addition, “virgin coconut oil helps the body absorb minerals such as calcium and iron more effectively than it would by itself. This indicates coconut oil’s effectiveness in aiding remineralization of the enamel, a process which depends on the body’s efficient absorption of calcium.” - md
“The [antimicrobial activity] might be due to the powerful oxidant properties of the ozone itself. Considering the antimicrobial effect of other oils, including corn oil, palm oil, rice bran oil and soybean oil, it was proposed that small amounts of saturated fatty acid, i.e. lauric acid, in these oils may play a role in their antimicrobial properties.”
In summary, fatty acids are powerful at being bacteria-killers.
Now that you know why they work, now what to use which for.
Coconut
- Remineralizing teeth
- Heal gums
- Antibacterial
Sesame
- Fighting plaque
- Dispels toxins
- Antibacterial
Sunflower
- Antibacterial
How
Take a tablespoon of any the above oils, swish it around in your mouth for 20 minutes, then spit it out. The CoconutResearchCenter article really explains this in detail, including how the toxins are expelled through the tongue.
My experience
The first I tried it was tiring, but I noticed quite the difference. I used Coconut Oil, being under the impression that was the only oil to use, and having had a cavity because of receding gums that appeared, and was starting to hurt, after about 3 days of oil pulling soon went away. Then only 6 months ago (in which I wasn’t in the swishing habit), my teeth were feeling loose which scared me, so I scheduled a visit to the dentist whom I hadn’t see in 10 yrs- after they messed up my right molars as a kid, to see what’s up. However, I told myself that I would cancel the visit if I got my teeth healthier by then. With diligent coconut oil pulling, I ended up with feeling better! When calling and asked to cancel, the lady questioned, “Did you just want to reschedule?” And I said, “No I fixed my issue,” and a second later she hung up- I’ve never had someone hang up on me so fast. Boy am I glad to never need a dentist again.
Since Coconut Oil helps remineralize the teeth, it helps any consumed calcium to begin repairing the tooth barrier. While I still have the cavity, I have had no troubles for about 5 years now because of having swished coconut oil in my mouth.
Recently though, I heard the wonders of sesame oil, and thought, “No way could it do better than coconut oil.” However, I tried it out. While I only had Toasted Sesame Oil (chance of oxidation), I used it anyway. And in just 1 time of swishing with it, I had visibly brighter teeth! It was pretty incredible. I’m still doing it every other day or so in the morning, and it works well. Hopefully I won’t have any more cavities that were indirectly caused by receding gums, since I’ve been loosening my clenched jaw muscles that were causing it, but if I do- I’m ready!
Miracle worker
“The modern version of oil pulling was coined by Ukranian physician Dr. Karach during 1990’s in Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), after he experimented swishing oil in the above-mentioned method and cured himself from a blood disease. He further studied it, systematized it and propagated it across the world. Dr. Karach says: “With the oil therapy, I healed my chronic blood disease of 15 years. With the use of this therapy; I healed within 3 days of an acute arthrosis that had forced me to lie in bed.” - CoconutResearchCenter
Takeaway
While we may think the best solutions are the most complicated, history says otherwise. Sesame, Coconut oil, and Sunflower oil all pack a punch against bacteria and plaque. If you’re still hesitant, just give it a try! It probably won’t cost you more than a few cents a swish.