natural living

Oil Pulling

Have you tried oil pulling? Are you wondering what on earth I am talking about?

Basically, you put a teaspoon or two of oil in your mouth and swish it around like you would do with mouthwash. It is supposed to remove a lot of bacteria from your mouth, removes plaque, helps whiten teeth, and I’ve even read about it helping to heal cavities. I’ve been trying to do my research and keep finding glowing reviews.

Honestly, I find that last claim to be a bit far-fetched. However, I am going to give it a try. Whiter teeth would be great. Plus, I have chronic thyroid disease. Fluoride is an endocrine disrupter and is contained in many different oral care products. I already use Tom’s of Maine fluoride-free toothpaste, and so do my girls. You get enough fluoride in the water you drink.

Anyway, I am going to try it and see if it works so that you don’t have to. We will see what the results are. I am using Trader Joe’s coconut oil. The more your coconut oil smells like actual coconut, the better.

96070-organic-virgin-coconut-oil
I have done it once and my teeth felt squeaky clean afterwards, even before BRUSHING them. That is impressive. It was hard to get past the solid oil at first. You have to let the coconut oil sit in your mouth while it liquefies, and that was pretty terrible. But, it was fine once it melted and I could easily “pull” the oil through my teeth.

I’ll let you know how it goes! Have you ever tried oil pulling? What were your results?

 
*Edit to add: This is a really great article reviewing different types of coconut oil. Not all coconut oil is the same. You can go over here and check out how they went about finding the best coconut oil as well as why they came to that conclusion.**