A month ago I set out on a quest – a quest to find healthier teeth, a brighter smile and who my real parents are. (Kidding, mom and dad! I love you!) So I jumped on the oil pulling internet bandwagon and rode that baby into the sunset! Thirty days and hours of swishing later, I now know one things for sure: Your phone or doorbell will inevitably ring 12 minutes in, right when you’ve passed the point of oh-heck-no-I’m-not-starting over and before you’ve gotten to eh-what’s-a-few-minutes-early. Happens every time. But other than that, what did I find? Did oil pulling live up to all the hype? Here’s how it worked, or didn’t, for me:
Whiter Teeth? No.
Funnily enough I even had the opportunity to have this one professionally verified. Before I started oil pulling, I had to get a cavity filled (story of my life these days) and the hygienist told me the name of the color of the filling they matched to my teeth. A month later, just after my experiment ended, I was getting another cavity filled. So I asked the hygienist what color they were using. Same sad one. (And yes they held up the little samples both times and didn’t just use their notes for the second round.)
Even worse, when the dentist injected the novocaine, she hit a nerve and it felt like an electric shock up half my face. For the first time in my life I finally understood how people can be terrified of the dentist. I seriously never want to go back except for cleanings. Which has nothing to do with oil pulling except I want sympathy, preferably in the form of chocolate – but only the kind that won’t decay my teeth!
Less Sensitivity? No.
Well I still cried reading “I Love You Forever” to my kids tonight. Kidding. (Not kidding about the crying reading that book though. That one’s worse than anything Nicholas Sparks ever did!) But my teeth, like my heartstrings, haven’t gotten any tougher either. Tonight I did the ultimate test: drink ice water. It was bad.
Fewer Cavities? Too soon to tell.
One of the things about oil pulling I was most interested in was the promise of better oral health in general. I never had a cavity in my life until after my first kid was born and it’s been a downhill slide ever since, despite flossing and brushing like it’s my religion. There isn’t much I wouldn’t try to fix this. (Especially now, after the nerve incident! I actually spasmed when she did it and smacked her arm holding the syringe and knocked it out. Then they had to give me a few minutes because it had made me so nauseated I thought I was going to puke. So embarrassing AND painful.)
So when I went into the dentist after my oil pulling experiment was over, I asked her to do a quickie exam and see if she could tell from a surface examination if my teeth looked any healthier. Nope. Same amount of gum recession. Same “shadow” on my back tooth that’s probably another cavity. But I do think it isn’t fair to say that oil pulling did or didn’t have anything to do with this as one month is a pretty short time frame to show prevented cavities. I did read one enthusiastic blogger who said it cured her of her existing cavities — that most definitely did not happen for me.
Yet, as you may recall, this was the one claim that actually had some scientific research to back it up. Is swishing with oil more effective than swishing with water? Not sure but I do know for sure either is better than conventional mouthwash — a study out just last month found that daily use of mouthwash increased the risk of oral cancer.
Detoxed? Doubtful.
My liver called. It’s fine and doing its job. Honestly I couldn’t find anyone who could explain in an anatomically and chemically correct manner how detoxing through your gums is supposed to work which made it very hard for me to take this claim seriously. Nevertheless this is a major reason – probably the number one reason I read – for people trying oil pulling. Obviously we get a lot of crap in our bodies these days, both ingested and from environmental toxins, and we would like to not be poisoned pretty please. So I can totally understand why people would seek out ways to help facilitate this process. That said, I’m not convinced oil pulling is effective for that purpose. And since I’m currently going on week two of fighting off an awful head cold, it didn’t seem to boost my immune system any. My headaches, whether they were from clenching my jaw while swishing or from ‘detoxing’, went away after four days.
Will I Keep Oil Pulling?
This is the real question. At first, swishing 20 minutes every single morning seemed insane. How am I supposed to yell at my kids to get ready for school and to stop feeding the cat fish food? But it turned out to be a non-issue. Once you get used to it, you forget about it and the twenty minutes passed by quickly. I also got really good at pantomiming. My kids very quickly learned what my “I will ground you for life” face looked like — turns out it works whether or not there’s noise coming out of my mouth with it!
But just because it wasn’t hard, doesn’t mean it was fun. I didn’t particularly enjoy the feeling. (So! Much! Spit!) And considering it failed on at least three out of the four promised results, it seems like a waste of perfectly good coconut oil frankly. There is a small part of me that wants to continue for the next five months until my next dental checkup and see if I end up with fewer cavities than my usual. Like I said, I’ll do anything at this point to keep the Novocaine needle away!
Gum, Flossers and Other Things I’m Trying
One of the cool things about this experiment was how many other ideas I got for how to better my oral health. You guys were a WEALTH of information in the comments and thanks to your suggestions I’m now brushing with a special “remineralizing” toothpaste (pricey but my dentist said that it actually works) and I’m chewing gum after two meals for 20 minutes. Note about the gum: According to the research, the ingredient needed to get rid of the bacteria is xylitol. Very few gums use this anymore. The only gum I could find was Trident in the mint or cinnamon flavors. All the other flavors and brands used other sweeteners. So if you’re going to try the gum trick – and hey I have minty fresh breath all the time now – make sure you check the label! The other thing I did is I bought a huge pack of those disposable flosser toothpick thingies (about $2 for 100):
And I keep them in my car. You may find this unforgivably gross but I floss in the car. Usually in the parking lot or at long stop lights. Several times a day. I make my kids do it too. I’m still looking into some of the other suggestions you guys gave me to try!
So what do you guys think – should I stick with it for six months on the small chance it will help with the cavities? Or should I just work on trying other things? Maybe I should just have all my teeth removed and get big white Chiclet veneers (when I win the lottery)?? I know a lot of you are trying this as well so do you have an update on your oil pulling?
Perhaps….
…Oil Pulling detoxes plaque?
Can’t really see it detoxing anything else.
I still have all of my teeth including my wisdom teeth. But I can sympathize with your sad experience and I am emailing the Easter Bunny as we speak to bring you non-cavity inducing chocolate.
Oh!
Easter Bunny replied!
And…apparently there are only regular chocolate options due to sponsorship issues…contracts…obligations.
Maybe if OTHER things do not work, you could come back to oil pulling to reduce cavities?
YAY!
aside from the trauma at the dentist, i am happy to finally read a post where the oil pulling didn’t ‘work’.
scientifically, WHY SHOULD IT? makes absolutely no sense to me why people would want to do this on a regular basis. in a normally functioning body, the liver and kidneys are constantly detoxifying our bodies. coconut oil swished around in the mouth cannot .
flossing at red lights is a good idea!
also, i cry every DANG TIME I read that book.
Glad I’m not the only crybaby during that book! I seriously cannot get through a single reading without tearing up. It’s ridiculous.
Like I said a month ago: snake oil. (Meaning oil-pulling is bologna, not that you should try swishing with snake oil.)
Yeah, you were right! And thanks for clarifying about the snake oil swishing;)
Check out Black walnut tincture. I used it for one month and my sensitivity went from a 6 to a 1.
I will def check that out! Thanks!
I wish I were surprised. I’m glad you did this though. Too many kooky websites that say this works, with no SCIENCE to back it up (save for the cavity thing, which….I’m leery of because multiple variables and science and all that.)
I say ditch it. And save that coconut oil for making delicious desserts. 😀
Coconut oil DOES make delicious desserts… mmmm…
I did not chime in the first time because I was curious to read your results, but this does not surprise me. As Dragonmamma says, snake oil.
Try increasing your calcium intake and avoid excessive intake of acidic fruit. Flossing at stoplights will now become the absolute thing to do because Charlotte does it!!
But grapefruit is my FAVORITE fruit:/ I could eat 5 a day. (But I don’t!) And lol about the stoplight flossing trend – yay!
The detox doesn’t happen through the gums, it happens through that big ole vein under your tongue. I know lots of people who have had great success with oil pulling. I tried it for awhile but couldn’t get over the swallow reflex. Is that a reflex? It feels like it when you aren’t supposed to! I want to try it again, but always forget until later in the day. I guess it is like everything (BUT T-Tapp) that it works for some but not everyone.
Yes it definitely seems to help some people! And I’m happy they’re happy:) It just didn’t work out that way for me. And yes, I think swallowing is definetly a reflex!
Who gets cavities easily I wanted to chime in…the floss sticks are great but make sure you still use regular floss at night. I ran out of floss last year, and used my kid’s floss sticks until I remembered to buy some more (a few weeks) and I got multiple cavities. It sucked. 🙂 Apparently real floss is your friend.
Seriously?? Crap. I’ve been relying solely on the flossers. I wonder why that it is? Is it because regular floss is thicker??
My dentist told me that with regular floss you do a better job getting all around the tooth (like giving it a hug instead of just sliding up and down). I have crappy teeth that cavities easily so if it is working for you go for it.
I keep a bag of floss picks by my bed. It’s the ONLY way I remember.
Haven’t tried the oil pulling, the thought of keeping something in my mouth for 20 mins did not excite me, so figured I’d stay off the bandwagon unless everyone said it changed their life. Sounds like that’s a negatory.
Yeah, it didn’t change my life. I wanted it to though!
I hate oil so much (not for fat, I just think it’s “icky” and hatehatehatehate touching anything oily) that the thought of oil pulling makes me queasy. It does sound kooky to me, but i was curious to see if it helped you.
I looked at that mouthwash study you linked and actually feel a bit vindicated. I never used mouthwash in my life until i got married and found my husband used it at least twice a day. My teeth have always been healthier than my husband’s (although I wouldn’t blame the mouthwash entirely for that, as he’s a soda addict and i rarely touch the stuff). I usually swish my mouth with water after using mouthwash because I was worried that it was a bad idea to let alcohol “sit” on your gums like that. I know diabetics don’t usually swab with alcohol before they test because they do it often and it breaks down the skin. Why are we doing it to our mouths?! I also liked that the study pointed out that some people were using the mouthwash to disguise smells or because they already had oral conditions. All in all, I think I’ll keep up with my sparing use of mouthwash.
Don’t you love it when research tells you to do what you’re already doing?? I love that feeling, lol! Good point about diabetics not using alcohol before a finger prick – I’d never thought about it that way before!
Make sure you do not brush your teeth after drinking or eating any acidic fruit (particularly lemon juice, like in tea or anything). Give it a while. The acid can make the enamel on your teeth vulnerable to being eroded.
My rheumatologist suggested oil pulling to me because it supposedly helped with inflammation…didn’t do a thing for me except make me gag and waste my lovely sesame oil. (I read Never to use coconut oil…can’t remember why). Same rheumatologist also suggested Atkins diet…made me feel HORRIBLE! and she suggested Paleo Diet which was moderately successful in controlling inflammation. I am beginning to think even drs. want a quick fix or else I am immune to the latest and greatest health fads. In my research on Paleo Diet I did come across The Whole 30…this actually made a significant difference in my levels of inflammation and joint pain, plus I slept better. I am going to do another Whole 30 and keep notes this time to document my pain levels…it is a very restrictive diet, which I don’t like as it is hard to maintain, but it may make the difference for me.
Oil pulling has worked for me. I’ve been oil pulling since October of 2013. My teeth have gotten a shade whiter, and I’ve loss the pain and sensitivity I had in my teeth. Maybe it just is me. Maybe it isn’t scientific, but for me it has worked.
But the difference for me is that I think though it’s about more than just pulling. If a person drinks coffee, tea or soda, which is very acidic it will stain the teeth, any oil pulling you do would be quickly undone. I don’t drink or eat anything that stains my teeth, after acting acidic foods or staining foods I follow with brushing my teeth which includes my own made toothpaste that has coconut oil in it and very gentle bristles. I also pulled two times a day, drank no sodas and predominantly I drink water. I don’t eat white refined, or processed sugar. All my dietary habits I did before I started oil pulling. So I think those habits combined with it gave me results. But hey, that’s just my two cents!
I agree. Oil pulling is like detoxifying your mouth. It’s like a bit giggly from the start but you’ll get used to it and I tell you, it’s really refreshing.
Oil pulling is not as easy to do as I thought. 20 minutes of waiting with an empty stomach makes it hard. But it is a safe, simple, cheap and gentle procedure that has positive effects on oral health. Thanks for sharing your experience with oil pulling!
I think it depends on your body. Whenever my teeth become sensitive i oil pull and it really does help my teeth. It does help pull out the vacteria fro your teeth. This time im doing it in the morning and night for a month. Im on day 4 and my teeth feel a lot better, and my mouth feels fresher. I just brushed my teeth an hour after oil pulling and before i put the tooth brush in my mouth i difnt even feel thr need to. My mouth felt so clean. Im going to keep it up and see my own progress. It may not work for you but it does help for sure.
I have few questions.
– Which oil did you use exactly? Certain oils are worse than others, especially the acidic ones like certain olive oils.
– What do you usually eat? what have you eaten during this experiment time frame?.
Teeth sensitivity has more to do with what you eat than oil pulling.
If you need to take care of teeth sensitivity you really need to fill up with fat soluble vitamins (ref. WAP foundation) so that dentin builds up again and sensitivity goes away.
If you keep having coffee or eating junk stuff it won’t do much for the “white”.
– Oil pulling is excellent for cleaning teeth deeply, and forcing the dentinal fluid outward direction, it doesn’t do anything for repairing cavities.
Gum disease is often confused with tooth disease, they are two different things!!.
If the initial situation is really bad i suggest trying twice a day, as soon as you wake up and before bed. (you add it to the normal brushing routing.. in other words)
That said, it stops here, it doesn’t work alone, you need to stop insulin spikes from taking place (to avoid reversing dentinal fluid flow inward) and providing support (lipo-soluble vitamins like cod liver oil + K2, vitamin c in small dosages troughout the day, ecc.).
Try this one out, I guarantee the whole matter will turn upside down and you will be finally able to work both on your gums AND your tooth as well.
my 2 cents from my 5 years personal research on this matter 😉
greetings from Italy
Marco