An experiment: Oil Pulling

By: Ashleigh

In the last couple weeks we have heard a buzz over social media about "oil pulling" and its claims of whitening teeth; preventing bad breath; strengthening gums, jaws and teeth, prevents cavities; and other non-dental fixes.  I volunteered myself to devote a daily routine and tracking the results.  I am going to give it a go for two weeks (maybe longer if it does those things) and update you of my findings.

Oil Pulling: it is said to be an ancient Ayurvedic natural remedy.  I will let Wiki explain Ayurvedic for me.  Its use of pure oil to pull our harmful bacteria, toxins, and fungus from your teeth, mouth and throat making a more healthy you.

I checked a few different sites and all have the same directions: use a pure oil like sesame, or coconut, swish in mouth from 5-20 minutes, and spit out into garbage (so it doesn't clog drains).  You then go about your regular dental hygiene routine.  Oh, and this is best done first thing in the morning when the bacteria amount is at its highest.

I will be using coconut oil (I already have it in my house).  Dr. Jones' Assistant, Jennifer, took a color shade on me and at the end of two weeks we will see if there was any "whitening" of my teeth.  I recently had my teeth cleaned and examined, so Dr. Jones will examine again, to see if she finds any changes, good and bad, to report.

BASELINE RESULTS:
Whitening Shade: A1 (thankfully, this in not the color of the yummy steak sauce!)  As you see in the picture below (pic provided by the Moonberry blog post), B1 is actually "whiter" than A1.  I am glad that there is room for improvement so we can see results.

Perio: I have three separate areas with deeper pocketing.  A normal range is below 3 mm and anything more than 4 mm is considered periodontal disease.
          Area 1: between # 8/9 = 4mm
          Area 2: between #18/19 = 4 mm
          Area 3: between # 31/32 = 5 mm (yikes)

Although we have our doubters in the office, I am going to go in with an open mind.  Hey if it works, great.  If it doesn't...there is always our Spring Whitening Promotion!

Have you tried oil pulling yourself?  We'd love to hear about your personal experience.  Please leave your comments below.




**It's important to note that we are NOT recommending oil pulling, but rather trying to find our more information about this "hot topic" that has gained a lot of recent attention in social media and mainstream media.   There is a strong caution to be aware of that it can be dangerous if any of the oil is "aspirated" or inhaled into the lungs because a small amount of oil can settle in the lungs.  It is recommended to rinse thoroughly with warm water mixed with sea salt afterwards to remove "toxins" that may be drawn out from tissues.