Oil Pulling May Worsen Dental Erosion.
Those interested in oil pulling should know that it is only advisable for someone in good oral health. If you have gum disease or are at risk for it, oil pulling could make things worse.
We recommend not brushing until approximately 30 minutes after eating, and while oil pulling isn't quite considered eating, your tooth enamel has still had time to be affected by the oil in your mouth and can be more susceptible to erosion after this practice.
"It will help fight plaque and gingivitis." However, oil pulling isn't officially recommended by the American Dental Association, so it's always important to exercise caution and keep up with regular dental cleanings—oil pulling shouldn't replace your other daily oral care practices.
The American Dental Association does not recommend oil pulling due to a lack of “reliable studies” to show that it improves oral health or acts as a preventative measure for oral disease.
Dentist Concerns About Oil Pulling
Because sufficient evidence of the effectiveness of oil pulling is lacking, dental professionals recommend exercising caution when it comes to this practice. Although it isn't particularly harmful, some people may experience some side effects.
Oil pulling is a popular age-long practice for removing plaques and other food particles from the mouth with natural oils. What's more, it's an effective natural remedy for receding gums and gingivitis.
Ellie Phillips, DDS, often speaks favorably about oil pulling. However, she does caution against oil pulling for those with gum recession or sensitivity, as it may damage biofilm and pellicle proteins, which are critical for a healthy mouth. Thus, if you're using oil pulling for receding gums, do it only occasionally.
Try non-acidic foods: Certain foods are good for your enamel. Many types of fruits and vegetables, dairy products such as milk, and foods or drinks containing fluoride – notably spinach, grapes and black tea – will be useful to naturally restore enamel.
Oil pulling is not harmful unless you overdo it or use the wrong oil. While oil pulling removes harmful bacteria from your mouth, overdoing it may disturb the oral microbiome and affect your palate and taste buds.
Oil pulling activates salivary enzymes which absorb toxins such as chemical toxins, bacterial toxins and environmental toxins from the blood and removed from the body through the tongue.
Oil pulling may decrease risk of gingivitis, bleeding gums, and sensitive gums. Proper brushing technique should improve gum health and prevent gingivitis, but oil pulling should also help kill or remove bacteria under your gum line. In this way, oil pulling helps prevent gingivitis.
By reducing the number of bacteria in your mouth, oil pulling can prevent cavities. Once damage from tooth decay has already happened, the oil cannot reverse this damage. A tooth with a hole can only be repaired with a dental filling.
Coconut oil, Sunflower oil, Sesame oil, and Olive oil are commonly used oils for the oil pulling activity. These are some of the natural ways to reduce gum pockets. They can help to minimize the unwanted bacteria from the mouth and keep the teeth clean.
Start with just 5 minutes a day. Twenty minutes of swishing is a long time, and while the longer you pull, the more bacteria you'll remove, 5 or 10 minutes will still offer some benefit. Also, if your jaw starts aching a few minutes in, slow down. "Don't work too hard," Emery says.
You do not need to brush your teeth before oil pulling as the practice will remove food and bacteria from the mouth. However, it is important to brush afterwards to ensure that all of the toxins that are drawn out of the mouth are removed. If it feels weird, keep going. There's no right or wrong way to oil pull.
The oil needs to be swished around long enough for it to turn a milky white, which indicates that the bacteria has been “pulled” off.
The research on oil pulling
One study involved 60 participants aged 16 to 18 with gingivitis who practiced oil pulling every day alongside brushing and flossing. There was steady improvement after day seven, and a 50% decrease in plaque formation and plaque induced gingivitis after four weeks.
Another option to help reverse cavities and help the condition of your oral health is Oil Pulling. It is a lot easier than it sounds and it is simply swilling your mouth with coconut oil for around 15-20 minutes.
Oil pulling is best incorporated in the morning, upon rising, and on an empty stomach, as it helps to stimulate the appetite and enhance the sense of taste. Some suggest swishing before brushing, while others suggest brushing before swishing.