Oil Pulling: Is It Really Effective?

There is a lot of buzz over oil pulling on internet. You search for it and you will find out everyone advocating oil pulling as a magical method to get rid of the dental problems just like that. Some people say that oil pulling can whiten the teeth, clean the mouth and strengthen the gum. Some people relate it to the better sleep and enhanced detoxification.

Is oil pulling this much effective? Anyone with common sense would say ‘no’. But the truth is that the benefits of oil pulling remain to be the mystery because American Dental Association is yet to conduct a comprehensive research over it.

Is oil pulling a method worth trying? It’s something which we need to have some discussion about.

Oil pulling is believed to be ancient Ayurvedic remedy which can help resolving major oral health problems. However, ADA has released a statement in which it is clearly stated that people should focus on the traditional ways to clean their teeth and take care of oral health instead of preferring oil pulling. They do not say that oil pulling is bad. They say that oil pulling is yet to be proven as a trustable method to cure the oral problems.

There are some claims which are made to express the benefits oil pulling is said to provide. Let’s discuss some of the claims briefly.

Teeth whitening

The most popular claim which is made to prove oil pulling as a worthy treatment is that it whitens the teeth because it helps in lifting the stains from teeth. Although this claim seems to be true to some extent, it is not medically proven that it’s the oil pulling doing the job.

Cleans the mouth

People who claim oil pulling to be the right method say that oil pulling picks up the plaque and bacteria in the gum line and also under the gums. Hence, it helps in strengthening the gums, ultimately cleaning the teeth. This claim seems logical because a lot of patients have found oil pulling helpful in this regard.

Detoxification

This is the type of benefit which doesn’t seem more than just a myth. The reason is that the liver and kidneys do more than enough to detoxify the body. Furthermore, it’s pretty hard to find any connection between the oil pulling and improvement in the body chemistry related to detoxification.

Relief in certain ailments

Some people believe that oil pulling can be helpful treating the allergies which include heart diseases, insomnia, and a number of other illnesses.

While oil pulling can logically be the solution to certain dental issues, it’s effectiveness in concern with the illnesses related to deeper portion of the body remains something hard to believe on for the people who have little knowledge about body’s anatomy.

So, where does the oil pulling stand?

While there may be some benefits that oil pulling can deliver to the dental health, the overall verdict about this method remains the same and that of ADA, i.e. stick to the normal dental care methods and use oil pulling as a supplementary method if you are too convinced about it.