What is Oil Pulling? A Brief Intro

The Oil Pulling Process

Oil pulling is a traditional oral remedy where oil is swished around your mouth to help strengthen your teeth. You can use any type of unrefined oil; coconut oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, or something else you may prefer. Use about a tablespoon of oil and swish it around your mouth for 10-20 minutes. Just like mouth wash, make sure the oil coats your teeth and gums. Once those 20 minutes are up, you spit out the oil into a trash can (oil may clog your sink pipes). Once the oil is spit out, it “pulls” all the harmful bacteria, fungus, and toxins out of your mouth, teeth and gums, leaving you a healthier person.

There are a lot of claims of what oil pulling can do. Here are the possible oral health benefits of oil pulling: stronger teeth, whiter teeth, cavity prevention, gingivitis prevention, plaque reduction, fights bacteria, and fights bad breath. There are also claims that oil pulling has several non-oral health benefits. Some say it can: headache relief, reduce inflammation of arthritis, reduce symptoms of bronchitis, reduce sinus congestions, reduce insomnia and more. A quick search will help you find more information.

Oil Pulling Research

Oil pulling went mainstream in 2008 when Bruce Fife began praising its benefits in his book Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing. Fife let readers know that most diseases start in the mouth, and that oil pulling grabs all that bacteria and rids them from your body. Since then it’s become pretty popular but only a handful of studies have been conducted to find out if these claims are true.

According to PubMed, there are only 10 studies regarding oil pulling. Some of the studies use very small sample sizes and involve other oral hygiene treatments on top of oil pulling. Most of the studies result in a positive effect from oil pulling. Each study claims different results, and none of them claim non-oral health benefits, and the ones that do claim oral health benefits only prove that it helps one or two oral health problems.

Does it really work?

Since there has not been more research on a larger scale, oil pulling is not legitimized. As for now, the results should be taken with a grain of salt. Keep in mind that oil pulling cannot harm you, and it can be used on top of your daily teeth cleaning regimen. However, this should not replace anyone’s recommended bi-annual visit to the dentist.

Oil Pulling Research

Oil pulling went mainstream in 2008 when Bruce Fife began praising its benefits in his book Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing. Fife let readers know that most diseases start in the mouth, and that oil pulling grabs all that bacteria and rids them from your body. Since then it’s become pretty popular but only a handful of studies have been conducted to find out if these claims are true.

According to PubMed, there are only 10 studies regarding oil pulling. Some of the studies use very small sample sizes and involve other oral hygiene treatments on top of oil pulling. Most of the studies result in a positive effect from oil pulling. Each study claims different results, and none of them claim non-oral health benefits, and the ones that do claim oral health benefits only prove that it helps one or two oral health problems.

Does it really work?

Since there has not been more research on a larger scale, oil pulling is not legitimized. As for now, the results should be taken with a grain of salt. Keep in mind that oil pulling cannot harm you, and it can be used on top of your daily teeth cleaning regimen. However, this should not replace anyone’s recommended bi-annual visit to the dentist.