Oil Pulling and Teeth Whitening: What Is It?

Is oil pulling really as effective as people say? Let us separate the myths from the facts and look at how it can help your oral health.

The history of oil pulling and teeth whitening

Cleaning the mouth with a natural oil is very simple in itself: take a tablespoon of oil and swish it around for about 5 to 20 minutes, although results can be seen even with 1 to 3 minutes of swishing. This traditional method has been practised for thousands of years.

In ancient Ayurvedic medicine, oil pulling was prescribed for, well, basically everything. Ayurvedic practitioners claim that swishing oil in the mouth is an effective way to improve oral hygiene and reduces the symptoms of about 30 diseases, including ones that have nothing to do with the mouth!

Everything that has to do with the mouth does eventually reach the rest of the body, but the method should not be taken as a “cure-everything” remedy.

Even so, there are many scientific papers and much evidence that oil pulling is one of the best things you can do for good health. It has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for about 3,000 years, but it became a trend in the 1990s, when the Russian doctor Dr. F. Karach wrote about its surprising health benefits.

Researchers at the University of Oxford have concluded that oil pulling is low-cost, safe and has beneficial effects on oral hygiene.

How do you do it?

Very simply! There are many products, and it can even be done with things you find in the kitchen. Be sure to brush your teeth before, not after! Then take a tablespoon of oil into your mouth and swish for 5 to 20 minutes. Be sure to spit it out at the end! The plumber in me suggests you do not spit it into the sink or the toilet, because the oil can solidify and clog the pipes.

All oils pull bad bacteria from the gums, the tongue and the mouth in general. The oil also helps maintain colonies of good microbes in the mouth. If you brush your teeth after oil pulling, you destroy the good microbes that you have just strengthened!

Personally I try to swish oil for about 3 minutes two or three times a week, and more often when my gums are sensitive or there is inflammation in my mouth.

The best oil for oil pulling

Sesame oil was (and is) the choice of Ayurvedic practitioners, but coconut oil is just as good.

First, coconut oil is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory powerhouse, which makes it ideal for oral hygiene (and for many other things).

Coconut oil also contains lauric acid, a triglyceride that very effectively destroys the bacteria that break down teeth and, to some extent, also lowers the chance of gum disease.

Today oil pulling products come with many ingredients and flavours. Some flavours can be quite polarising, and that is entirely individual.

As long as you choose an oil that is cold-pressed and organic, it will support your oral hygiene, though not as well as coconut oil.

Five benefits of coconut oil pulling

There is a lot of misinformation about what swishing with oil does and does not do. If you want to know what science says, read on.

1. Reduces the risk of short-term gingivitis

Regular oil pulling can help prevent a harmful gum disease called gingivitis.

If your gums become puffy, inflamed and tender, it may be a sign of gingivitis. Such symptoms should definitely be taken seriously, and you should consult a dentist!

2. May support the remineralisation of teeth

This will certainly contradict what some dentists say, but the natural remineralisation process means that part of tooth decay can be addressed without a drill.

Your teeth are designed to repair themselves, but remineralisation is only possible when specific nutrients are present and the bacteria that cause cavities are absent.

Although proper nutrition is the key, coconut oil can also play a helpful role.

3. Kills cavity-causing bacteria

Sesame and coconut oil pulling removes the excess of cavity-causing bacteria (Streptococcus mutans) as effectively as the chemical compounds in ordinary mouthwashes.

Clinical studies have shown that this benefit only starts to show after three weeks of use! One more reason to keep it up for longer.

Oil pulling is much, much better than using mouthwash, because the latter also destroys the good bacteria in the mouth that are needed!

4. Reduces the symptoms of oral candidiasis

Oral candidiasis is a fungal infection that is more likely to develop if you:

• have been prescribed dentures
• have been prescribed chemotherapy or radiation
• use an inhaler for asthma
• take antibiotics that kill good bacteria in the body

Babies can also get this infection quite often, but they must never be given oil pulling!

5. Helps against bad breath

If you suffer from bad breath, also known as “halitosis“, you have surely used plenty of mouthwash to improve the situation, and that is not a very good option.

The alcohol in mouthwash dries out your mouth, which reduces your ability to produce saliva. That is very bad, because saliva helps to limit the growth of certain bacteria and keeps the pH of the mouth stable.

In contrast to mouthwash, oil pulling supports your saliva’s natural ability to reduce bad bacteria without drying your mouth or harming the good bacteria.

Fact: three different clinical studies have confirmed that regularly swishing with oil helps to kill the bacteria that cause bad breath, or halitosis.

The risks of oil pulling

Although it is a natural and entirely safe method, there is one small risk you should be aware of.

If oil pulling is difficult for you, for example if it makes you cough or feel nauseous, or if the oil reaches your throat or windpipe, some of the fat can get into your lungs and, in very rare cases, cause lipid pneumonia. This does not happen very often, but that is exactly why young children should not use this method! Young children are also more likely to swallow the oil by accident.

Many of the dangers that are written about are not real or not that serious.

For example, oil pulling does NOT loosen crowns or fillings unless there were problems with their foundation beforehand. If that should happen, definitely consult a dentist (and be thankful that oil pulling brought it to light so early).

Another myth about oil pulling is that it can be harmful to pregnant women because they could swallow the bad bacteria that the oil has pulled out.

Fortunately, the oil does not pull anything straight out of the bloodstream (where the REALLY bad bacteria are). You must never swallow the oil, but there is no reason to think that oil pulling harms the health of a foetus or a pregnant woman.

The truth about four oil pulling myths

1. Many people say or write that oil pulling reduced jaw pain caused by a joint disorder, but it is more likely a “mask” for the pain.

2. Oil pulling is not a direct teeth whitening method, although it may improve the appearance of your teeth by reducing stains caused by bacteria.

3. Remember the 30 diseases mentioned at the start of this post? Many people claim it helps relieve the symptoms of diabetes, migraines, arthritis, asthma and so on, but there is no scientific evidence to support this. Oil pulling does not cure diseases!

4. Oil pulling cannot replace toothbrushing or flossing!

Final thoughts on oil pulling

Before trying oil pulling and looking into it, I was quite sceptical, probably like many of you. But research and my own experience have shown me that it is a useful part of a good oral hygiene routine.

Oil pulling is not only about reducing stains and bacteria; it may also help against bad breath (halitosis).

My first choice would be a coconut oil based oil pulling product, as it is a natural antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory powerhouse. If you can, try swishing with it for 1 to 3 minutes a day.