It can be practiced thrice daily in empty stomach before meals to fasten the healing effects. It is contraindicated for children below 5 years due to risk of aspiration. The practitioner should take care not to aspirate the oil while performing rigorous oil pulling.
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.
Repeat these steps a few times per week or up to three times daily. You may also want to work your way up, starting with swishing for just 5 minutes and increasing the duration until you're able to do it for a full 15–20 minutes.
The bottom line
Coconut oil has been used for centuries as an effective oral hygiene practice. Current research suggests oil pulling with coconut oil (swishing oil in your mouth for 10 to 20 minutes) may reduce bad bacteria in the mouth, prevent gingivitis and tooth decay, and get rid of bad breath.
To see the benefits of oil pulling, you really have to do this most days of the week for about two weeks, but I will say that my teeth were considerably whiter after only four days and it cured that one hangover.
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.
Oil pulling is a traditional remedy, originating in India, meant to improve oral hygiene and remove toxins from the body. The practice involves swishing oil around in your mouth to remove bacteria, which can turn into plaque and cause your teeth to look yellow ( 5 ).
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.
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. After roughly 20 minutes the solution is filled with bacteria, viruses and other organisms; at this point, the person spits out the oil and rinses thoroughly with water.
Oil pulling has been proven to be an effective method in reducing plaque formation and plaque induced gingivitis. This preliminary study shows that coconut oil is an easily usable, safe and cost effective agent with minimal side effects which can be used as an adjuvant in oral hygiene maintenance.
Promotes Healthy Teeth and Gums
One of the most common culprits of tooth decay is Streptococcus mutans, a type of microorganism in your mouth. Daily oil pulling for 10-15 minutes can help reduce S. mutans count in your mouth and prevent tooth problems.
Oil pulling can be done as many times as you are comfortable with. This could mean once every few months, twice a week, or every single day. The more frequently it is done, the more you may reap the benefits, but there is no official schedule to oil pulling that you must stick with.
Rinsing should be continued for perhaps 5 to 20 minutes, so that the edible oil is pulled through the teeth and mouth.
Also, a recent study found that coconut oil may help prevent tooth decay. 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.
Prevents plaque and bacteria
And a 2008 study found that oil pulling is as effective as rinsing with mouthwash to maintain and improve oral health. The study examined levels of Streptococcus mutans, a bacteria commonly found in the mouth that causes tooth decay.
It's recommended that you perform oil pulling once per day, every day. Doing this on a regular basis can help prevent oral health problems by removing harmful bacteria from your mouth. However, don't do it more than once daily, as it can cause tiredness or soreness of the jaws.
Can I Eat or Drink After Oil-Pulling? After oil-pulling, just rinse your mouth and brush as you normally would. You may then consume any food or drink that you want immediately.
When you finish oil pulling, be sure to spit out the oil that has collected bacteria in your mouth. Swallowing it may result in stomach discomfort or diarrhea. You totally replace all toothbrushing, flossing, and other oral care with coconut oil pulling.
Floss and brush your teeth before you start oil pulling. Place a tablespoon of oil in your mouth. Sit upright (don't lay down) and swish the oil around for 1-3 minutes. Spit out the oil in the trash can, not a toilet or sink (the oil can clog pipes as it hardens).
Most guides suggest brushing the teeth immediately afterward. Others say that it is better to wait a bit to promote the retention of good bacteria and the rebalancing of the oral microbiome. In any case, use a different toothbrush after oil pulling to the one used for daily teeth cleaning.
Once you have finished pulling, spit the solution into the trash. Do not discard the oil in the sink or down the toilet because over time the oil may build up and clog the pipes. Do not drink anything before rinsing your mouth.
Dentist's verdict: Oil pulling can complement daily brushing to help prevent tooth decay, but it certainly is not essential and definitely should not be seen as the most important factor in preventing cavities.
You can whiten your teeth with coconut oil every day if you want, but most people choose to do it only a few times a week. If you don't want to swish the oil around in your mouth, you can always apply the oil to your toothbrush and simply brush your teeth.
Can I do oil pulling at night? A. Oil Pulling at night can significantly improve health. Specialists suggest washing one tablespoon of your picked oil, for example, sunflower oil, coconut oil, or sesame oil, around the lips for about 20 minutes.
DO oil pull with an empty stomach, don't even drink water beforehand, first thing in the morning is the easiest. Pulling on an empty stomach triggers the release of the maximum amount of the enzyme-containing saliva. These enzymes remove toxins & bacteria out of the lymph fluids & bloods.