Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. Originally published on August 3, 2016.
The history of oil extraction dates back nearly 3,000 years. Before modern medicine, elders in India developed Ayurveda, a system of healing the mind and body. The main principle of Ayurveda is that, when your body is fit, your body has the ability to heal itself.
Doctors advise you to support your body through healthy eating, adequate sleep, stress reduction, strong digestion and living in harmony with your environment.1
One of the Ayurvedic practices is oil pulling, or swishing and rinsing your mouth with oil. Oil pulling has been used in traditional Indian medicine to prevent tooth decay, bad breath, bleeding from the mouth and to strengthen the teeth and gums.2
The Benefits of Your Oral Health
Some believe that oil pulling can have significant health benefits. I can’t back up all of these claims, but I have first-hand experience of how oil pulling benefits oral health as I’ve been pulling continuously since 2011.
Oil pulling is a great way to clean your teeth with the tiny particles that penetrate your toothbrush. Your dentist may have advised you to use sealants on your teeth to prevent decay from forming in small areas.
In the past, the most popular oils were sesame and sunflower oils. However, these are high in omega-6 fats, which you get enough of every day. Cold pressed, virgin coconut oil is my oil of choice for several reasons.
Bacteria are responsible for bad breath and the formation of cavities in your teeth. They have a membrane that dissolves in oil and is broken down by mechanical action and oil suction. Research shows that oil pulling improves saponification, or the breakdown of bacterial membranes.3
While sesame and sunflower oils can kill bacteria, coconut oil adds another advantage. Coconut oil is an essential fatty acid that has been found to inhibit Streptococcus mutans, a major bacteria that causes arthritis.4,5
Coconut oil also prevents yeast infections in the mouth, known as thrush.6,7 These infections are more common if your immune system is compromised, or infants and nursing mothers may experience them.
Oil pulling 101
In the video above I explain how I use oil pulling in my oral health routine and the benefits you can experience.
Just measure about a tablespoon of coconut oil for the infusion. You may find that this is too much or not enough, but it’s a good place to start. Coconut oil is solid below 76 degrees Fahrenheit (24.4 degrees Celsius) but it melts quickly as soon as you put it in your mouth and start moving.
Rinse the oil in your mouth, using your tongue and cheeks to draw the oil from your teeth. Try to relax your jaw muscles so you don’t strain the muscles. The actions are natural and will not cause depression.
Even if you want to use it as a mouthwash, you don’t want to shake it or swallow the oil you’ve been inhaling. If you feel like swallowing, it’s important to spit it out and start over.
When you rinse the oil in your mouth it breaks down the bacteria. Saliva and bacteria are both included in the oil, so you don’t want to swallow the oil when you run. After 20 minutes, the oil will start to thicken and turn brown.
Pour the oil into your trash can or outside. I spit in the yard, making sure not to get my seeds. Even though your saliva is mixed with oil, the water may still contain enough oil to coat your pipes and cause blockages or slow drainage. Over time, oil pulling can become as natural as brushing your teeth.
By increasing the pH of your mouth after brushing you can reduce the growth of bacteria. To do this, mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda in 6 ounces of water and stir. This will increase the pH of your mouth, and since bacteria thrive in an acidic environment, a high pH will inhibit growth.
Why I Don’t Recommend Fluoridated Toothpaste
Fluoride has been added to water and toothpaste, and has been offered as a treatment in your dental office for years as a solution to prevent decay. However, in recent years fluoride has come under scrutiny, and for good reason.
A surprising study showed that the fluorapatite layer formed on your teeth by fluoride toothpaste is only 6 nanometers.8
In order to achieve this, it would take 10,000 of these layers to achieve the size of one strand of your hair. Researchers now question whether this very thin layer can protect your enamel, considering that simple chewing quickly removes fluorapatite from your teeth.
Some toothpastes are more successful at repairing and remineralizing dentin (the tissue underneath the enamel that makes up the bulk of your tooth) than fluoride toothpaste.9
Fluoride toothpaste can also be a major source of fluoride absorption in young children, which can lead to tooth decay. According to research, it is not uncommon for young children to absorb more fluoride from toothpaste than is recommended in a day from all sources.10
Science has clearly shown that ingesting fluoride is harmful to your health and that of your children. They are toxic chemicals that accumulate in your gut over time, altering your enzymes and causing brain and endocrine dysfunction.11,12,13,14
Children are particularly susceptible to the negative effects caused by fluoride. Therefore, if you have small children it is recommended to use non-fluoride toothpaste, or teach them to brush their teeth with coconut oil.
Fluoride builds up in your body and your baby’s, so it’s best to use a fluoride-free toothpaste as well.
How Dental Health Affects Your Physical Health
Your oral health has a huge impact on your overall health. Your mouth can be seen as a window to your health, because you can easily test the health of your mouth and soft tissues.15 As noted in the 2000 Executive Summary from the Surgeon General:16
“The last few years have seen the definition of oral health change from a focus on the teeth and gingiva to a recognition that the mouth is the center of many important tissues and functions that are essential for good health and long-term quality of life. all of life.
The mouth as a mirror of health or disease, as a guard or early warning, as a model for the study of muscles and other organs and as a source of disease affecting other systems and organs…”
Your mouth is an entryway for pathogens and toxins. Recent studies show that oral disease is linked to diabetes, heart disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes.17,18
Having good dental health can also increase your risk of developing dementia.19 Researchers say that the cause of the disease may be periodontal disease or gum disease. Data on more than 4,000 adults over the age of 65 were analyzed, and those with fewer missing teeth were at higher risk of developing dementia than those with 20 or more teeth.
Periodontal disease is an inflammatory disease that affects more than just your mouth. Research has found a correlation between the need for diabetes medication and periodontal disease in diabetic patients.20 Treatment of periodontal disease reduced the need for insulin in this study.
In another study, scientists found a connection between periodontal disease and an increased risk of chronic kidney disease.21 People with gum disease are four times more likely to develop kidney disease than people without gum disease.
A Comprehensive Oral Health System
Taking care of your teeth and gums is very important to your overall health and well-being. It is important to address the diet, oral care and medications you use. Here are some tips to help you improve your oral health:
• Limit carbohydrate intake to meet insulin requirements. I recommend reducing your total carbs – i.e. your total fat grams minus your fiber grams – if your fasting insulin level is above 5.
Avoid high-energy foods such as beans, legumes, beans, grains such as rice, quinoa and oats, as well as highly processed grain products such as bread, pasta, cereal, chips, bagels and fried foods. This starts digestion in the mouth and affects the health of your teeth. Limit fructose intake to 25 grams or less. Even the fructose found in fresh fruit should be low.
• Use toothpaste with natural ingredients, such as coconut oil, baking soda and essential oils. There is no real reason to expose yourself to harmful chemicals, such as fluoride, when natural alternatives are readily available, more effective and less expensive.
• Eat plenty of fresh, vegetarian, grass-fed meats and fermented vegetables. This helps you get more minerals for strong bones and teeth.
• Wash and rinse daily. Brush your teeth gently because brushing your teeth can cause the gums to swell and form pockets. These are important areas for bacterial growth.
• Inhale with coconut oil once a day for at least 20 minutes to reduce bacterial growth, strengthen teeth, reduce bad breath and reduce the risk of gum disease.
