Wondering what else you can do with MCT oil other than mixing it into your diet? Why not try MCT oil pulling, a simple practice to improve your oral and overall health?
What is Oil Pulling?
Oil pulling is simply swishing a spoonful of coconut oil in your mouth for a few minutes and then spit it out. During the swishing process, the oil “pulls” out the harmful bacteria, viruses, and other bad stuff hidden in your mouth. When the MCT oil contacts with the saliva, the two can form a thin liquid that can travel in areas that your toothbrush can hardly get to, so oil pulling really helps to cleanse your teeth and gums. Since oil pulling can eradicate the toxins before they travel to your gut and into the bloodstream, the practice can improve your total health and strengthen your immune system.
How Do You Oil Pull?
Dentists say that learning how to oil pull is easier than learning how to brush your teeth correctly, so don’t worry! To start, put a spoonful of MCT coconut oil into your mouth and swish the oil for 1 to 3 minutes. The traditional Ayurvedic method oil-pulling can be as long as 20 minutes but this may be hard to accomplish while being on today’s busy schedule. Most dentists recommend keeping the swishing time between 1 to 3 minute. After swishing, spit out the oil into a trash can instead of the sink, as the oil can clog the pipe when it hardens. You don’t have to oil pull every day but do it regularly, like 2-3 times a week.
What is the Benefit of Oil Pulling?
There is so much that oil pulling can do for your oral and dental health. Dentists suggest that practicing oil pulling regularly can prevent you from gum diseases like gingivitis, which has symptoms like swollen and inflamed gums. Regular oil pulling might help you avoid the challenging and potentially dangerous gum disease, gingivitis.
Oil pulling also rebalances the bacterial environment in your mouth, getting rid of the harmful bacteria that can lead to tooth decay while helping the good bacteria to grow better. If you are struggling with bad breath, MCT oil pulling may be a better solution for you than the mouthwash! The alcohol in the mouthwash dries out your mouth and reduces the amount of saliva produced, which can worsen bad breath in the long term. However, oil pulling helps to clean up your mouth and kill the bad bacteria that can cause bad breath without leaving your mouth dry.
