So have you ever heard of Oil Pulling? What is that you ask? Well Oil Pulling is a method of holistic oral health care. This is a practice that I have taken up and have been doing for the last several months. It is something that I actually thought about trying years ago but never really took the initiative to start until this year. In this post I will describe the process of oil pulling and discuss some of the benefits.
As you know your smile and your teeth are one of the first things that people will notice about you. Your smile is a physical characteristic that can add to or detract from your physical appearance. It is important to stay on top of your oral health if you want to have a nice smile. More importantly though, good oral hygiene helps to add to your overall health. As you may know your mouth holds bacteria. Most of the bacteria that live in your mouth are harmless but if allowed to build up to unhealthy levels these bacteria can cause tooth decay, inflammation, gum disease and some serious health care issues, such as diabetes. Research shows that those with gum disease have a harder time controlling blood sugar levels. The mouth is the entry point to your digestive and respiratory systems so poor oral care can even contribute to pneumonia. According to research done by the Mayo Clinic, oral inflammation and poor oral care can even lead to heart disease, clogged arteries and stroke. There is even research that shows that poor oral care can lead to preterm labor in pregnant women. So your oral care is something that you should take seriously.
I pride myself on being able to say that so far I still have all my original teeth and I plan to keep them as long as I can. I know that as we get older our teeth and gums can become weakened over time. So my oral health care is something that I have always taken seriously. I have recently added oil pulling to my regimen. I have never had any serious issues with my teeth. I did have to have some cavities filled when I was younger, but I have not had any cavities or concerns with my teeth in over 20+ years. A few years ago I decided I wanted to try to keep my teeth looking healthy through natural methods. I tried the activated charcoal method (rubbing the charcoal on your teeth and then brushing your teeth). It seems to be effective but I experienced some sensitivity with it so discontinued use. After reading up on oil pulling I decided to give it a try. To be honest I can’t really say that I see a major difference in the whiteness but it does leave a nice fresh feeling in my mouth so I will continue with it based on the reported benefits.
Oil pulling is an ancient holistic Ayurvedic dental technique that originated in India. Throughout my travels I have visited multiple countries in Asia including India, China and Indonesia, and I have been intrigued with some of the holistic and spiritual practices. Oil pulling involves swishing a tablespoon of oil in your mouth for a period of time. I believe the practice is traditionally done in the morning but I ain’t got that kind of time in the morning so I do my at night. I am not a morning person at all😁. It is recommended to swish the oil around for 10-20 minutes. After swishing the oil you need to rinse with water or salt water and then you brush your teeth as usual.
These are the benefits of oil pulling:
- Kills harmful bacteria in your mouth
- Helps fight bad breath and tooth decay
- Reduces inflammation and helps keeps gums healthy
You can use any type of oil. I started out with olive oil and used that for a couple of months and then switched over to coconut oil. These are oils that I already had at the house because I use them for cooking. I prefer the coconut oil for oil pulling due to the more pleasant taste and also because coconut is known to have healing properties. I definitely noticed that my mouth feels refreshed and clean after using.
So this is my nightly routine for oil pulling and my oral care routine:
- Swish one tablespoon for coconut oil for 10-15 minutes
- Rinse with plain water or salt water, no real preference it just depends on my mood which one I use
- Brush my teeth for 10-15 minutes
- Rinse with mouthwash nightly, and once monthly use a peroxide/ water mix to rinse
- Floss
- Then go to Bed 🙂
- In the morning I just brush my teeth and use mouthwash
- I also change to a new toothbrush every 3 months and get a dental cleaning every 6 months.
Your oral health care is about so much more than having a pretty smile. It can help to promote overall health care.
A link to the brand of coconut oil I used is listed below. If you are interested in adding Oil Pulling to your routine, you can click link below for purchase. I am a huge online shopper so I get everything from Amazon.
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