Benefits of oil pulling for teeth
Dr. D.Sendhil Nathan MDS, DNB Prosthodontics And Implantology
Oil Pulling is a dental hygiene practice of rinsing mouth with oil for a few minutes to remove the bacteria and other microorganisms in the mouth. The folk Indian remedy is similar to utilizing mouthwashes to keep our mouth clean. In India, it has been in practice for more than thousands of years and also mentioned in the ancient Indian textbooks as Gandusha and Kavala Graha.
Sesame oil, Clove oil, Sunflower oil and coconut oil are recommended for the dental hygiene practice since ancient ages. Nowadays, Dentists highly recommend coconut oil for oil pulling.
Why coconut oil is suggested?
When you read the above passage, you have a doubt “Is coconut oil really good for teeth?”
Absolutely. The lauric acid present in coconut oil possesses immense antibacterial properties. Similarly, it is rich nutrients and anti-inflammatory properties required to keep your mouth healthy and free from bacteria. Apart from this, it provides a better taste when compared to other oils.
How does oil pulling clean our mouth?
You need to pour one or two teaspoon of coconut oil in your mouth and swish for 15-20 minutes. Then spit out the oil.
When you rinse your mouth with the oil, the harmful bacteria along with toxic substances in the mouth stick to the oil and come out when you spit the oil. Besides this, the oral care practice will hydrate the gums and maximize the salivary production. Saliva is effective to clean and remove the germs, depositions on the teeth.
What are the other oral health benefits of oil pulling?
As discussed in the introduction, this practice purifies our mouth by killing the harmful oral bacteria like Streptococcus mutans which are responsible for various dental diseases. It clarifies that oil pulling can keep you stay far from the oral complications.
Reduce Halitosis – Bad breath also known as Halitosis occurs due to the colonization of bacteria in the mouth. Bacteria present in the biofilm covering called plaque also produces the nasty smell in the mouth. Oil pulling minimizes the plaque and eliminates the microorganisms present in it.
Prevent Cavities – Bacterial invasion on the teeth destroys the enamel layer and it is followed by tooth decay. Oil pulling is effective to extract the bacteria in saliva. This in turn, reduces the bacteria’s communication over the teeth and prevent dental caries. Researches show that oil pulling will reverse tooth decay if it is done for a while.
Diminish Gingivitis – Similar to Chlorhexidine mouthwashes, sesame oil and coconut have anti-inflammatory properties. Hence it will reduce gum inflammation and prevent the gums from periodontal diseases like Gingivitis. It is found that the continuous practice of swishing mouth oil reduces the infections caused by gingivitis.
Whitens your teeth – Even though it is not confirmed that oil pulling whitens the teeth, you can obtain a slight difference in your teeth appearance if you regularly indulge in oil pulling. Click here to read the experience of Biaca London she got with the dental practice for teeth whitening.
Strengthen your gums and Jaws – As mentioned earlier, this approach will soothe the gums by moisturizing the gum region which helps the gum tissues stay stronger. This in turn, strengthens the gums. Likewise, oil pulling is helpful to strengthen our jaws and minimize face flabbiness.
Conclusion
The practice of swishing mouth with oil is not yet approved by western medicine. But the Dentists do not deny this approach or mention that it would damage your teeth. It is sure that oil pulling will shield your mouth but it requires more researches to get appreciated and recognized.
We have a wide range of oral care treatments offered by modern dentistry to save our teeth, Likewise, there are innumerable remedies are also available to protect our teeth. Oil Pulling is one of such dental practice.
