I’ve Been Oil Pulling for a Year and This Is What Happened to My Teeth

When I first heard about oil pulling, it sounded extremely bizarre to me.

You swish oil around in your mouth? For 20 minutes? Every day?

I couldn’t understand why someone would do such a thing and more importantly, how someone could find the time to do such a thing.

Then, I found a tiny cavity in my mouth. I also had gum recession, most likely from a mild form of gum disease. I’d been to a dentist before who didn’t mention these problems, let alone do anything to correct them. At the time, I was without dental insurance and had no idea what to do.

Oil pulling was suddenly looking like an option.

I started oil pulling over a year ago. This is what happened to my teeth after swishing coconut oil around in my mouth for 20 minutes almost every single day.

Smaller Cavity

My cavity was a small one on my canine.

That little cavity terrified me. I watched it obsessively, wondered how it happened. I kept monitoring it and worried that it would grow into a hole so huge that my entire tooth would fall out. My cavity was one of the main reasons I started oil pulling.

So did my cavity go away? No. Did it get smaller? Yes.

There are additional things you can do to get cavities to go away naturally, one of these involves following a diet of no refined sugar. This was pretty difficult for me, so I didn’t do it. I feel confident that if I had followed the diet along with my oil pulling that my cavity would be non-existent now.

Improved Gum Recession

The one thing I wish I’d known before I got oral piercings was that it would cause my gums to recede.

The inner row of my bottom front teeth has gum recession due to a tongue ring that I wore for years. The outside gum tissue of my lower right canine, which happens to be right where my lip piercing stud sits, is also experiencing gum recession.

And for reasons I’m not entirely aware of, my upper left canine had gum recession that was severe enough to cause me pain whenever I breathed in icy cold air. Yes, I noticed this while walking around Penn State’s campus in January.

I was surprised to see just how much my gum recession improved with daily oil pulling. My most severe gum recession—the one on my upper left canine—is virtually gone and my lip piercing recession and my tongue piercing ones healed up some as well. Impressed!

Whiter Teeth

One thing I was not expecting from doing my daily oil pulling with coconut oil was getting whiter teeth.

I’d heard rumors that it made your teeth whiter, but hadn’t seen any evidence. Whiter teeth were not the reason I started oil pulling but turned out to be a pretty cool side effect of it.

My teeth are a few shades whiter and look better than they ever did before my oil pulling. This could be especially beneficial to tea or coffee drinkers—get rid of those stains and brighten your smile naturally with oil pulling!

Less Plaque Buildup

Another thing I wasn’t expecting from my oil pulling adventures was less plaque on my teeth.

By the end of the day, those of us who don’t brush after meals usually notice some fuzzy-feeling plaque on some of our teeth. On the days I do oil pulling, there’s so such buildup.

In general, I’ve noticed that there’s less plaque on my teeth and they remain shiny and healthy when oil pulling is involved. This means plaque doesn’t get a chance to irritate my gums or ruin my enamel, so I like to think this is helping my tooth sensitivity as well as my gum recession.

The Scoop on Oil Pulling

Ok yes, I’m ready for those of you who say getting rid of cavities naturally and curing gum recession is totally bogus. That’s fine.

But I can’t deny the results I’ve seen from oil pulling, and I hope that as my diet gets healthier, I’ll be able to get rid of that tiny cavity and have a sparkling smile for when I actually get some dental insurance and see a better dentist.

I continue doing oil pulling because I feel that it makes my smile healthier and keeps me from getting more cavities or advancing gum recession. It’s been a great practice for me and others who feel that removing bacteria in this way from the mouth is highly beneficial for the body as well as for your teeth and gums!

Want to try oil pulling? Organic coconut oil or sesame oil is best. Swish around in your mouth for up to 20 minutes every day before brushing your teeth in the morning. You don’t need to vigorously swish around in your mouth to see results.

When you’re done, spit in the trash, as coconut oil’s been rumored to clog pipes. Then brush your teeth as normal. I know 20 minutes sounds like a lot, but the time will fly by if you do it while you’re in the shower, getting dressed, and fixing breakfast.

Have you tried oil pulling? I’d love to hear your experience with it as well as why you do it!