Coconut oil for receding gums is of a debatable topic in the oral care industry. The main arising questions tend to be ‘can coconut oil stop receding gums from receding further, can it fix the damaged part by helping gums grow back? Can it cure the periodontal disease, the main cause of receding gums? The advocates of ‘oil pulling say “yes” it can do all these, it can cure both gingivitis and periodontal disease. Not only that it can also cure cavities, bad breath and other diseases such as heart disease and asthma.
The opponents of oil swishing say no, it can only try but can’t do all that. If it is just a matter of taking bacteria out, mouthwash can do better than coconut. Why waste 20 minutes swishing oil when you can do it in 1 minute with mouth rinse?
Where Is The Real Role Of Coconut Oil In Fixing Receding Gums?
To defend their position, the advocates of oil pulling remind us that for gum disease to be cured, bacteria causing it need to be removed. These bacteria living in our mouths are a single-cell organisms, covered by a layer of fat. Now taking the fact that ‘oil and oil mix together as compared to oil and water’ , then when you do the pulling, the oil acts as a magnet pulling these bacteria from their hidden place, get mixed with the oil which you will later, spit it out. Oil can reach better in hard-to-reach places when compared to the toothbrush or toothpick. A water flosser can reach further too but the magnetic effect of the oil will pull out more bacteria than using water. Using mouthwash is an artificial way of doing it but coconut oil is a natural way of cleansing our mouth. And oil pulling does not only cure gum disease, but it also fixes receding gums by causing gums to grow back.
The opponents say no way, gums do not grow back, to fix them you need to see your dentist for deep cleaning for complete removal of built-up plaque and tartar and if necessary undergo ‘gum graft surgery’ for repairing the damaged gums.
While the advocate might be right since they back up their claims with testimonies of people who have practiced from one week to 2 years time. What these people lack, however, is the before and after pictures, as we all know images speak louder than words.
What about scientific studies?
There is a good number of research that have been done on oil pulling to try to find out whether it works as claimed or not. However many if not all of these studies have been conducted in a short period, most of them 2 weeks time, swishing oil for few minutes, from 5 to 10 minutes while it is recommended to do for 20 minutes. Their findings conclude that oil swishing real works in reducing plaque in one mouth, but mouthwash do better. But there is no research that has taken a long time approach to proving whether the use of coconut oil or any other oil in fixing receding gums or its core cause, periodontal disease.
Agreement Point
Both advocates and opponents of oil pulling agree that our mouth is filled with bacteria, the warmth, leftover foods stacked in the teeth make our mouth a nice and comfortable place for bacteria to live and multiply themselves very quickly. The better way to get rid of these harmful bacteria is through following good oral hygiene:
- Brushing your teeth for two minutes, twice a day using a soft toothbrush
- Floss at least once a day
- Use best mouthwash or warm salt water to get rid of the remaining bacteria
- Don’t forget to clean your tongue using a tongue scraper or a toothbrush
- Attend routine dentist checkup, every six month
Following these routines will prevent you from acquiring gum disease. And if you have gingivitis, an early form of gum disease, the routines above will reverse it. However, if you have developed periodontal disease, the above measures cannot fix it; you have to go for ‘scaling and root planning and if necessary ‘gum graft surgery.
One more thing to note is that if your teeth are cracked and rotten, consider other ways of fixing them such as fillings, root canal and if badly decayed consider replacing them with false teeth also called ‘implants or dentures’ and continue practicing good oral hygiene including oil pulling to help the wounds cure quickly and stop the situation from returning back.
What is Oil Pulling?
Oil pulling is the teeth cleaning technique originated from Ayurvedic medicine in India, tested by many, and proven to work wonders in curing cavities, toothache, bleeding gums, bad breath, whitening yellow teeth, all forms of gum disease. It is also claimed to be able to cure other body and skin diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, acne, migraine, diabetes, and more.
It is the practice of swishing one tablespoonful of coconut oil daily for 20 minutes. Basically, you take a spoon full of pure organic coconut oil, put it in your mouth, and swish it between your teeth and throughout your mouth for 20 minutes.
The mouth healthy is a reflection of what is happening inside your body. If your mouth is sick, other parts of the body are also sick. This is because the mouth is part of the digestive system.
What the oil pulling does is that it sucks out infection-causing bacteria and their toxins out of teeth, gums and the blood. It is the best way of improving your dental health and the whole body at large naturally.
It is simple and harmless. The only cost to you is just buying coconut oil which is cheap in most supermarkets.
How to Cure Receding Gums Using Coconut Oil – Oil Pulling!
- Take one tablespoonful of pure coconut oil
- Put it in your mouth
- Swish it around for 20 minutes
- After 20 minutes, spit it out and rinse with warm salt water for added benefits. Remember to spit it on trash not in the sink or toilet to avoid clogging them, then
- Brush and floss your teeth as usual
For fast results remember to oil pull on an empty stomach, 3 times a day, once before breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
You can do the oil pulling for as many times as you want but at least three times a day. Dr. Bruce claims that the oil pulling is like a vacuum cleaner that sucks bacteria, virus, and fungus such as warts out of the body.
In summary: Relying only on brushing your teeth daily is not good enough as Dr; Bruce says it touches only 60% of the teeth surfaces leaving plaque in hard to reach areas such as between teeth. That is why you are recommended to also floss daily, and now oil pulling for added benefits.
Coconut oil plus Cloves – Best Homemade Tooth Pain Relief Oil
In times of tooth pain, the quick way to relieve tooth pain at home is oil pulling clove oil. And here is how you make clove oil at home.
- Grind one tablespoon of cloves. If you don’t have a grinder, just put the seeds into a clear plastic bag and use a wooden spoon or just a normal spoon to crush them until they turn into powder
- Boil 3 tablespoons of coconut oil and powdery cloves together and let them boil/fry together for 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t let the mixture burn though and turn black.
- Take the mixture out of a cooker and let it cool
- Use a spoonful of this oil for oil pulling. Swishing oil in your mouth for 10 to 20 minutes. Even if the tooth is too painful, you will feel better.
- Store the rest for later use
- Every time the pain comes back, do the oil swishing again.
- After 20 minutes spit it out and rinse your mouth. You will feel better while planning to see your dentist for tooth filling in case you have cavities
- In case of brushing your teeth, you can try Colgate sensitive toothpaste
My Experience Whitening Teeth Using Coconut Oil
I heard about whitening teeth using coconut oil a few weeks ago and was amazed at how this simple trick is not widely known. Thank GOD I had coconut oil and decided to give it a go right away.
As you swish around, the coconut oil turns into water like and when you spit it out it looks like a cream yellowish sort of liquid filled with bacteria da.
My thinking is- this is the solution I have been looking for ages on whitening my teeth naturally. I have to do it.
It is now a week since I first started swishing coconut oil for 20 minutes three times a day and I am very impressed when I check my teeth on the mirror.
The stains that I thought were there to stay are now diminishing slowly but surely. My mouth feels fresh than I have ever felt before.
For the last 2 days, I have been having a bit of a toothache but nothing to worry about as I heard many people also experience a lot of stuff from time to time as bacteria and toxins are being flushed out from the teeth.
Quite excited real and with the positive mindset this swishing is now added as part of my daily oral health care routine no matter how long it will take before seeing a dream come true results. To some, it took a week, to others 7 months to 1 year to see results but does it means that when you get results you stop doing it? no. What is working is great, keep doing it.
It doesn’t hurt and it works no doubt about it.
Just swish the oil on your mouth for 20 minutes while doing other stuff is quite great. Can’t wait to hear your testimony.
References:
- https://amzn.to/2n4LuZE (Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing)
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4382606/ (Effect of coconut oil in plaque related gingivitis)
- http://academicjournals.org/article/article1380102380_Anand%20et%20al.pdf (Effect of oil-pulling on dental caries causing bacteria) * This research tested ‘sesame oil’ but cocunut oil is the best so far.
- https://www.troab.com/miracle-reasons-replace-tooth-paste-coconut-oil/ (Here are some reasons why should replace your tooth paste with coconut oil)
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Dr. Tom Bell has a PhD in Medical Anthropology. He has a keen interest in oral health topics and is the founder of dentalrave. He has been an oral health researcher and electric toothbrush enthusiast for over 10 years. Tom works with Awin and others in his research. When not talking about dental hygiene and gadgets, Tom likes spending time outdoors hiking.
Last update on 2024-12-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API