Oil Pulling - One of the Best Hacks for Oral Health

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” - Phyllis Diller

Who doesn’t like the sparkling set of teeth? Of course, not you!

A smiling face doesn’t only make you seem friendly in your personal life but also helps you appear approachable and confident professional. Taking care of oral hygiene also prevents cardiovascular and heart diseases. This is why it becomes an utmost priority to brush your teeth (if not twice, once) daily.

Even though we brush our teeth regularly, we still experience various oral health issues. Don’t we? Well, due to an unhealthy diet, excessive use of caffeine, tobacco, or alcohol, our oral hygiene starts to get messed up and this is why we shouldn't only rely upon brushing our teeth.

Then, what should be done? - you ask!

Ever since the pandemic started, people have started using Ayurvedic or organic products to maintain a healthy lifestyle. One such Ayurvedic technique that prevents various oral health problems is oil pulling. This must-have intrigued you to dig into what is oil pulling? Let's proceed further to know about Oil pulling in detail. Shall we?

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What is oil pulling & who introduced it?

Oil pulling is an effective dental care technique that prevents bad breath, gum inflammation, teeth discoloration, enamel erosion, etc. The practice of swirling coconut oil (which is considered the best oil for oil pulling) for some time and then spitting it out is called oil pulling. Fresh breath, shiny teeth, and stronger gums are some of its benefits. This oral hygiene exercise was first introduced in India about 3000 years ago. Despite being an ancient technique, it can surely be termed as one of the examples of oil is gold.

How to perform Oil Pulling?

Even though oil pulling for teeth involves easy and simple steps, one needs to be very careful while performing it (especially if the person is doing it for the first time). Here are the steps that you need to perform one by one for effective oil pulling.

1. Take one tablespoon of any oil is it coconut oil, sesame oil, or mustard oil. Oil pulling with coconut oil is preferred due to its taste and antibacterial properties.
   

2. Now, put the oil in your mouth and start swirling slowly and later increase its speed. You should perform it till the time you feel comfortable with the activity. If 5 minutes works for you, go for 5 minutes. If 20 minutes works for you, do it for 20 minutes.
   

3. While swishing the oil, avoid gulping even one drop of it.

4. Once you are done, spit the oil out.
   

5. Lastly, gargle with either lukewarm water or normal water to get rid of the taste of coconut oil (if you want).

But how does oil pulling work?

Most people have the misconception that oil pulling helps to squeeze out the toxins from blood cells. However; this doesn’t have any proven evidence. If we dig into how oil pulling works, it is as easy as it sounds. When you swirl the oil inside your mouth, it swipes off the bad bacteria to prevent the secretion of plague. The longer you swirl the oil, the more bacteria get removed from your mouth. Practicing oil pulling for teeth is one of the beneficial habits that everyone should inculcate for effective dental care.

Tell me more about the benefits of oil pulling.

Even though the procedure of oil pulling takes some or no effort, the list of its benefits is never-ending. Today, there are various oral health products and treatments available that promise overnight results. But remember, everything worth having takes time. Most people prefer performing this technique in the morning but you can perform oil pulling at night as well. It is one of the most affordable yet effective Ayurvedic practices for dental care. Some of its benefits are:

1. When the plague starts to build excessively, it causes bad breath. Oil pulling helps to glide away the bad bacteria resulting in fresh breath.
   

2. The regular practice of oil pulling helps to prevent teeth discoloration, keeping them shiny.
   

3. Oil pulling ensures no bad bacteria is left inside the mouth, which helps to prevent tooth decay and gum inflammation.
   

These benefits of oil pulling bring us to the end of this article. We hope you learned something new from it. To get more such informative content, subscribe to our newsletter today!

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