Post Punk Kitchen Forum

So a few months ago I posted about my dental health woes here: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=22063

Basically these were my issues: Bleeding gums, deep probings, staining from spices in my cooking, bone loss on several teeth, one of which the dentist wanted to extract because he said the tooth was unstable and "rocking back and forth."

I've always been worried about my teeth because I felt I was taking care of them but apparently not well enough. I was afraid of losing my teeth as I got older and the problems getting worse. Three months ago I went for a deep cleaning in which he pointed out more areas of bone loss and god, the bleeding was insane. This is always a sign of bad gums and moderate to advanced periodontal disease. After that cleaning I went online and read about oil pulling for dental health. I started doing it regularly though not everyday with unrefined coconut oil for the past three months.

Well folks listen to this! I went back two days ago for a follow up cleaning and my dentist freaked out. He was cleaning my teeth, scraping away at my gums, and there was hardly any bleeding! AND the tooth that was worrisome, the one that he wanted to extract was STABLE. He kept saying "What?!!! What??!!! It's not moving! What did you do???!!" I was so surprised and pleased! Holy shiitake this oil pulling works! I told him about it. He had never heard about it but was very excited. He said it kind of makes sense because what is probably happening is that it's killing the bacteria and once you decrease the bacteria, everything starts to heal. He said my gums look health, there is less staining and hardly any blood which was incredible. I remember spitting out after rinsing and the water was a light light pink. And he was vigorously scraping too! He wants to see me in a month to check up on it again.

Here's a link to those new to oil pulling: http://www.oilpulling.com/oilpullingmethod.htm

That's awesome and exciting! I, too, love whoever came up with oil pulling as I seem to have inherited the potential for horrible teeth regardless of super frequent dental visits. I noticed right away that it made my teeth whiter-did it make your teeth whiter? :)

good for you!! awesome. i am not as consistent about oil pulling as i'd like to be but my teeth always feel better.

really? that's crazy. I've never heard about this before.. I need to give it a try! and I'm happy your teeth are doing better!

That is awesome! I am so very happy for you and thank you for sharing your experience. I've been meaning to try that since I learned about it from torque and now I am definitely going to! Sure beats thousands of dollars of dental work :)

Was your coconut oil in liquid form or did it melt in your mouth?

It sounds cool, but 20 minutes?! Seriously? Do you really spend that long every morning? (I have two little ones, and definitely don't have that long to myself every morning.)

But glad it worked well for you! That's great!

this is great! thanks for sharing... i have actually been trying to get into the oil pulling habit lately and this has reinspired me :)

@dakini- i only do it as long as i can- sometimes 5 minutes, rarely 20. the problem for me is remembering to do it before i eat my breakfast.

Sometimes I don't even do it in the morning because of time issues. I usually do it later in the evening a few hours after dinner, right before bed. I swish while I sit with my laptop and facebooking. ;) 20 min goes by pretty fast.

Yes my teeth are whiter. It's so weird. I still can't believe it worked. My dentist was sooo surprised.

Coconut oil solidifies in cooler temps. I just scoop it up with a spoon and stick in in my mouth and it will melt. In the summer, the oil was liquid form all the time.

I had a look at the article and wondered if 20 minutes was a misprint. That seems a really long time, particularly on days when you're leaving the house early.
But I was also imagining doing it standing over the bathroom sink, the way I'd normally rinse my mouth. That would be annoying for other people who share the house, particularly as I spend so long in the shower already. Maybe if you got used to it and could do it at the computer or something, as kmouse mentioned, it would seem a lot more practical.

Yeah, I was thinking I'd do it while doing other things, but my oldest son and my partner are usually talking to me in the morning.

i've actually found it to be very sanity-saving as my spouse and kid are their usual morning path-of-destruction. I'm checking my email, swishing, or making tea, swishing, and i can only respond with nods or, if it's desperate, a pad and paper.

i am guessing you need to collect the stuff in a jar to toss in the trash, since you're really not supposed to rinse oil/grease down the sink. i'll try this. i have some teeth that are a little wiggly.

yes! the swishing noise also kinda drowns them out a bit too *chuckle*

I spit in in the toilet, lol! I'm gross?

(i guess i should have said down the pipes/into the municipal processing. that's why restaurants need a grease trap.)

I tried this for the first time this morning (have a tooth that is aching a bit, though it can't possibly hurt to try). I did it with unrefined coconut oil. First...who in the hell can put a full tablespoon of oil in their mouth? I could do about 1/2 tsp and that was pushing it. I did the salt water rinse after ward as recommended as well. A while later I ate breakfast, then brushed my teeth. I also have eaten lunch and a snack since then too. Yet, all day I have felt a greasy feeling in my mouth and keep getting the taste of coconut oil. How do you get past that? Not sure I can tolerate doing this if this is normal for this process...interested to hear what others are experiencing.

i brush my teeth after, i don't know if i am supposed to. but no oily feelings...

hm. this is what i do, maybe it will help.

i actually swig from the bottle. i think i'm doing about half a tablespoon, not a full one.
i use unroasted sesame oil, i learned to love sesame oil during my "ayurvedic phase" and like the taste.
i swish as long as i can.
spit out.
rinse with water and spit out again.
brush teeth (with a WET toothbrush), gums, roof of mouth, and scrape my tongue.
rinse and spit again.
i think it's important to brush afterwards- i know i couldn't go about my business with oil all over my teeth and tongue and all.

i always follow with a huge glass of water.
i don't think i've ever tasted oil afterwards.

i have been thinking about this all day. i have a grease trap in my home plumbing, is it not common to have grease traps in the US? [the places that i've lived were either waaaaaay old or, in two cases, had restaurant kitchens and grease traps]

do you think it is pushing the limits of disgusting to use this spit oil to make soap? (laughs and barfs-- but it's saving the planet!!)

Is there any type of oil that one shouldn't use for this?

i don't think it's common in US houses. (i'm assuming you need to collect the grease from the trap from time to time and dispose of it manually? i remember my mom collecting bacon grease in a jar and tossing it when i was little. i also don't remember anything about them maintaining any grease trap. my house also doesn't have one. i wonder if it's different for people with septic systems.)

if the oil is pulling toxins out of your mouth, i would assume it's not good to put back on to your skin/in your body.

i do wonder though if it remains emulsified or if it eventually separates, and whether the toxins stay in the oil or if they'd sink with the saliva. i guess i'll let you know if i start doing this and collecting the stuff in a jar.

I am so skeptical but so fascinated!