Oil pulling with coconut oil could possibly pose a slight health risk to people with heart disease or high cholesterol, if any oil is swallowed. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that individuals with cardiovascular problems replace saturated fats like coconut oil with unsaturated fats.
Myth: Coconut oil is a heart-healthy cooking alternative.
The reality: Coconut oil has been shown to raise cholesterol levels — the good and the bad kinds — more than other plant-based oils like olive or canola. And in truth, medium-chain triglycerides make up only a small amount of the fatty acids in coconut oil.
If you're allergic to coconuts or any other coconut products, you should not practice oil pulling with coconut oil. Swallowing the oil after pulling will not cause you to swallow toxins from your bloodstream, but it can upset your stomach. Make sure to spit it out, never swallow.
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.
To maximize results, try to oil pull at least a few times per week or up to three times per day. When you first start, you can swish for about five minutes and gradually increase the duration until you are at 20 minutes. Keep in mind that oil pulling doesn't replace traditional oral care.
However, this practice could be harmful to teeth. 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.
But let's get this upfront: Coconut oil can't repair receding gums. But can coconut oil help fight off plaque-producing bacteria in the mouth that leads to gum disease and receding gums? Limited research shows oil pulling – swishing coconut oil in your mouth for several minutes – might be an oral care aid.
Increases Blood Flow To Your Face - Oil pulling not only helps the skin from inside but also from outside because it will help in exercising the jaw muscles which in turn will also encourage a good blood circulation, which helps tighten your skin and smoothes out those smile lines and provides you with a youthful look.
If oil pulling is used alone, without regular brushing and flossing, then no, it is not an effective way to keep your mouth healthy. However, when used in conjunction with proper daily brushing and flossing habits, it may improve bad breath, help to decrease staining, and benefit in other ways.
Practiced daily, oil pulling leads to better dental and gum health, a stronger immune system, detoxification of major organs including the intestines, lungs, and liver, and healing from many conditions caused by internal toxins and chronic inflammation.
Dr. Mark Burhenne, from Ask the Dentist, says, “If you brush after you pull, you'll actually get rid of the good bacteria you just worked to support.”9 With this in mind, brushing then swishing may be best.
That could be because of its saturated fat content, which is even higher than that of butter (a tablespoon of butter has 7 grams of saturated fat compared with 12 grams in a tablespoon of coconut oil). Consuming high levels of saturated fat has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
Avocado oil is a heart-healthy oil, high in oleic acid, which is an unsaturated fat. It contains vitamin E and also helps the body absorb other fat-soluble vitamins. Avocado oil is a good source of monounsaturated fat which has been linked to reducing LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol.
A handful of small-scale studies show that oil pulling with sesame oil for 15 to 20 minutes a day for at least 40 days, alongside routine tooth brushing and flossing, can reduce plaque, bacteria and gingivitis. The studies relied on daily consistency and regular dental care.
Oil pulling should be done on an empty stomach in the morning, immediately after brushing and flossing your teeth. Benefits of oil pulling include fresh breath, healthy teeth and gums, a balanced oral microbiome, and a healthy palate.
Oil pulling can help prevent cavities by removing harmful bacteria, and it may stop cavities from getting worse. However, it takes minerals like fluoride, hydroxyapatite, calcium, and phosphorus to reverse cavities by remineralizing your teeth — and only if you catch the cavities early enough.
Some guidelines recommend up to 20 minutes of swishing but this is unnecessary to reap the health benefits of oil pulling. Spit out the oil in a trash receptacle or compost bin. This is key. If you oil pull regularly, disposing of it in the sink can cause buildup and clog your drain.
Oil pulling involves swishing organic oil around in the mouth for up to 20 minutes. This habit can moisturize the mouth, inhibit plaque, and support strong enamel. Additionally, oil pulling doesn't have the same drying effect as many traditional types of mouthwash.
Oil Pulling
What's more, it's an effective natural remedy for receding gums and gingivitis. To practice oil pulling, you'll need sesame oil or high-quality coconut oil. Simply swish a spoonful of oil in your mouth while pulling the oil between your teeth as well. Do this for 20 minutes and spit it out.
Oil-Pulling Tips
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.
Oil pulling should be ideally performed daily morning on empty stomach before brushing teeth and care should be taken that oil is not swallowed. Swallowing of oil during oil pulling should be avoided as the oil contains bacteria and toxins.