Many of you have probably heard of or even tried the newish Ayurvedic healing tradition that is circulating around regarding Oil Pulling. Basically you take 1 tablespoon of Sunflower, Olive, Sesame or Coconut oil and swish it around in your mouth for 20 minutes then spit it out. By doing so your teeth are supposed to get whiter, your gums pinker, toxins eliminated from your body, your digestive system working better, metabolism increased, weight loss, etc. etc.
I figured what the heck, I have Sunflower Oil at home, won't cost me a dime to try. After about 10 days, I decided it wasn't for me. My teeth were actually more yellow, my gums didn't appear any more pink than before trying this, and nothing else improved.
Then I gave the Hydrogen Peroxide a try. I swished 35% food grade Hydrogen Peroxide diluted to 3% in my mouth. I swished about a tablespoon for approximately 10 minutes. That first day my teeth were whiter than ever. Of course, that oil did a number on them, despite my normal dental hygiene routine which is pretty decent. Some say that all you need to do is swish the hydrogen peroxide for 1 minute and that the drug store 3% is sufficient.
Hydrogen peroxide will kill the bad bacteria, help stimulate and keep the gums healthy, and help with halitosis. When you first begin, you might find your gums turning white. Supposedly it is from the bacteria on your gums, and will return to their normal color within 30 minutes or so. Be warned that this can become foamy and frothy.
Unfortunately, during this time, I ended up having a filling fall out of my tooth. My dentist is a 3 hour drive one way. This was not happening. I decided that while I was scoping out new dentists, I would give Coconut Oil Pulling a try. My son had been doing this, and since he was studying to be a dentist, I thought why not. If he recommends it, I'll try it. I must say, I was very very consistent at doing this daily for an entire 30 days.
Within the first 3 days, I no longer had any sensitivity to the tooth where the filling fell out. Within the first 7 days, my teeth were noticeably whiter (even more so than using the hydrogen peroxide.) At the 2 week mark, my gums were pinker, healthier looking. By the end of 30 days, I was so hooked on the Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil, that I do it about 4-5 days each week now.
After about 60 days, I had an opportunity to visit my dentist that lives 3 hours away. He was able to prove to me how my gums had improved and even how my receding gum line had actually grown new gum tissue. He showed me my x-rays from the previous 6 months to that day's x-rays. He was impressed. He also said I did not need to do anything where the filling had fallen out. No cavities. And enamel had started to form in that indentation.
Today, almost a year later, I'm still Oil Pulling using Coconut Oil, or my homemade toothpaste. I squish and chew and drag the oil through my teeth from 5 to 20 minutes depending on my morning schedule. Sometimes I rinse with salt water, other times I rinse with baking soda and lemon essential oil, or sometimes I rinse with just hydrogen peroxide. My receding gums are disappearing. My tooth sensitivity is no longer. My teeth are whiter when I'm not over indulging with dark chocolate, or dark colored fruits like cherries and blueberries. That's when hydrogen peroxide helps.
So all in all, I am now sold on oil pulling, but only with coconut oil. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
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