Oil Pulling: What It Is and Why We’re Grossed Out By It

Oil pulling.

For those of you out of the loop, I should inform you: I am NOT referring to the act of pulling crude oil from the ocean or a desert in the Middle East, but rather, I’m referring to the act of swishing oil around in your mouth for 20 minutes. Granted, you can use any kind of oil you like—coconut, olive, vegetable—but even so, 20 minutes of swishing oil around in your mouth seems unpleasant, to say the least.

So, WHY would people do this? Supposedly, according to ancient legend, Gwyneth Paltrow and Shailene Woodly, it has a tremendous amount of health benefits! These health benefits range from whiter teeth and fresher breath to relief from migraines, arthritis and bronchitis. Some reports even claim that pulling can improve vision and get rid of hangovers.

But we are skeptical—there is not real evidence-based research that proves oil pulling’s health benefits, aside from reducing plaque and halitosis (bad breath). But that same study states that your typical mouthwash does the same…

I don’t know about you, but unless research is released stating that this practice is the cure to cancer, I don’t think I’ll be trying it anytime soon…

To learn more interesting dental tid-bits, visit http://www.lakeshorefamilydentist.com/blog.html

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