Last year I did some experimenting with drinking Gatorade during and after my workouts. Studies have shown that consuming simple carbohydrates around your workout increases your recovery rate. After 2 months of experimenting with this I noticed absolutely no difference.

All I did notice was that I had some tooth decay starting along my lower incisors. I’ve always had quite healthy teeth with no cavities or any other issues. I put this new problem down to the sugary Gatorade that I had been drinking followed by protein shakes over the past two months.

So I booked in with the dentist, but I want to do something about it before hand. I started flossing as well as brushing, which didn’t really help much. I needed something new, luckily my girlfriend had told me about this ‘oil pulling’ thing that her Mum had began doing recently.

What is Oil Pulling?

Oil pulling involves rinsing your mouth with oil in order to improve the health of your teeth and gums. However other bloggers have reported benefits with migraines, leukemia, eczema, arthiritis, heart & kidney disease and meningitis. This of course has sparked at lot of interest and currently more studies are being done to investigate these claims. Although I am a little skeptical of these claims personally.

The oil in your mouth pulls the toxins out of your body allowing cells and tissue to grow.

How to do it

First thing in the morning, before eating, pour sesame or sunflower oil (cold-pressed if possible) in a 15mL tablespoon and put it in your mouth. Without swallowing, swish the oil around your mouth.

Continue this for 15 to 20 minutes, leaning to the latter the first few times. Feel free to go about your other morning tasks like showering or preparing breakfast. After the 20 minutes spit the oil out into the sink. It should be a thinner white colour, if it is still yellow you have not rinsed long enough.

Rinse your mouth out well after you finish with warm salty water and then with plain water. Make sure the sink is cleaned of the spit as the oil contains toxic human waste.

Points to remember

• Use sunflower or sesame oil, as these have been found most effective.
• Rinse for 20 minutes
• Clean mouth thoroughly
• If you can’t do it in the morning, do before another meal, but always ensure you do oil pulling on an empty stomach

My experience

I have been doing oil pulling for the past two weeks. I have noticed a small improvement in my tooth decay and it definetely hasn’t increased. My teeth are also no longer sensitive to cold foods or when I eat a whole bunch of sweets in one go.

The biggest improvement I have found is in my gums. They feel fuller and healthier and I no longer get any bleeding when I brush my teeth. The rinsing with oil and salt water has also helped with mouth ulcers that have plagued me since high school.

I believe oil pulling would also help with getting rid of bad breath.

Give it a 30 day trial and see if you notice any difference. It’s very cheap (one bottle for $5 should last you 30 days) and may just help you with any mouth related problems you may be having.