Currently, in the times we’re living in, oral problems are very frequent among the worldwide population. Hence, besides maintaining proper oral hygiene to prevent bad breath and yellowish teeth, it’s crucial to maintain the mouth as clean as possible in order to prevent the occurrence of sores, cavities, or tartar.
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However, there are cases when toothpastes and mouthwashes don’t suffice. When this occurs, one can always turn to natural medicines.
Namely, according to a 2012 study by the Athlone Institute of Technology, enzyme-modified coconut oil has the power to suppress harmful bacteria.
The study also showed that coconut oil was very beneficial in removing Streptococcus, Candida Albicans, and Strep mutans, known causers of oral health issues.
Dr. Damien Brady, who led the researchers, stated that including enzyme-modified coconut oil to dental hygiene products is a good alternative for chemical additives. Nonetheless, as the study hasn’t yet reached a conclusive level so that it could be included into health products, people use regular coconut oil as a mouthwash.
Although unaltered oil might not be as effective as the enzyme-modified one, it’s still very beneficial, without any side effects.
The practice of using coconut oil for the oral health is called oil pulling.
So here is how to oil pull using coconut oil:
- Take about 2 teaspoons of coconut oil and put it in your mouth.
- You can chew or hold the coconut oil in your mouth until it melts down and becomes liquid.
- This process takes about half a minute.
- Once the oil is melted start to swish and pull the oil back and forth as well as sideways covering all of your teeth.
- Do this for about 20 minutes and then spit the oil.
According to Dentistry IQ, this process originates from millennia-old ayurvedic medicine. However, the following explanation is more recent than that:
The ‘skin’ of mouth-residing bacteria cells is made of fat, and as such, these are drawn to the fat within the oil. Coconut oil also contains lauric acid, which is excellent at shutting down harmful bacteria.
If you want to try out the oil pulling method, you might fail several times until you adjust the amount of oil in the mouth so it can have an actual effect.
And, as seen on Dentistry IQ, you need to spit the oil in the trash, not the sink. Also, rinse the mouth thoroughly after the oil pulling to prevent any leftover bacteria from moving into your system when you swallow.
It’s important to note that this method is in no way a replacement for regular tooth-brushing.
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