Emergency Dental Work: Topics, Tricks and Tips

Posted on: 19 July 2016

If you've been worrying about your oral health recently, perhaps you have been planning a visit to the dentist. Yet you shouldn't just be thinking about best hygiene practices when it's time for some dental work. You know that you need to floss and brush daily, but perhaps you should consider oil pulling too?

How Can It Help?

People engage in oil pulling in order to get rid of microorganisms and bacteria from "hard to get to" places within the mouth. Plaque and gingivitis are two of these common microorganisms often found in the mouth, and if left unchecked, will undoubtedly lead to tooth decay. So how can oil pulling help?

Coconut Oil Is Best

Several thousand years ago, proponents of Ayurvedic medicine came up with the concept of oil pulling. Effectively, you "splash" a certain amount of oil around your mouth for several minutes at a time, before you spit it out. You only need to use a tablespoon, and it's best to use coconut oil, although sesame or sunflower are equally good alternatives.

Oil Binds to Oil

The microorganisms you are trying to get rid of are essentially cells that are surrounded by a fatty membrane. When the fat within the oil contacts the fat that surrounds the microorganism, it will automatically adhere to it. In this way, you are able to eradicate those nasty organisms.

The best quality product to use is coconut oil, as it has specific antimicrobial agents within its lauric acid. It is also believed that coconut oil is beneficial in the prevention of decay.

The Technique

To get the best effect from this procedure, do it once per day and try to last for up to 10 minutes per session. In fact, the longer the better, and allocate 20 minutes if you can bear it. Focus on pushing the oil through as many of the difficult to get to areas within your mouth as possible, "sucking" oil through the gaps around your teeth, if you can.

Elimination

You do need to concentrate on keeping the solution in your mouth and do not be tempted to swallow, whatever you do. This is because the oil becomes toxic as you go through the exercise, and if you swallow it, you will just be re-ingesting the toxins. If you can, dispose of the waste oil in the rubbish bin, by first spitting it out into a paper towel. Getting rid of it into the toilet is the next best alternative, but be careful not to spit it into the kitchen sink, as in certain cases, it could solidify in the drainage system and cause a blockage.