Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil

Oil pulling is a process by which a variety of oils such as coconut, sesame, or even olive oil can be used to detoxify the mouth. The general idea behind oil pulling is that bacteria will get trapped in the oil and removed from the mouth. The most commonly used oil is coconut oil.

The process of oil pulling is quite simple. To start, one must scoop out a spoonful of coconut oil from its container. Coconut oil is a solid buttery-like substance at temperatures of 76 degrees Fahrenheit and less. Once the oil has settled in the mouth it will melt into a liquid. This newly formed liquid is thereby rinsed from the mouth after some time.

Coconut oil does have some antibacterial and antifungal properties in regard to its monolaurin and lauric acid. This may help with reducing bacteria load when used as a mouthwash. However, one government study concluded that coconut oil is just as effective as chlorhexidine in removing the common bacteria s.mutans.The details of that study can be found here https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27891311.

There are numerous claims surrounding oil pulling, many of them seemingly exaggerated. Some sources say that oil pulling will whiten teeth, this claim is questionable as most oils do not contain any form of whitening agent. Therefore, it is accurate to say that oil pulling alone will not whiten teeth. Other sources claim oil pulling can serve as a detox, drawing toxins from tissues. There is currently no evidence supporting this claim either that I could find. If you feel any of this is incorrect please let me know in the comments below.

"coconuts"by Chasqui (Luis Tamayo) is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0