There is a growing recognition of the role of various bacteria in the mouth and their impact on general health. Chronic illnesses that can be related to non-sterile root canals or cavitations are now widely recognized, at least within the enlightened portion of the population that pays attention to these things. It is interesting, though, that lots of attention and money are devoted to supplementing good gut bacteria and/or killing off bad gut bacteria, but virtually no attention is given to the bacteria colonizing the mouth.
Many of the “bad” bacteria commonly found in the digestive tract of people with gastrointestinal symptoms, including Klebsiella, Prevotella, Campylobacter, and others, can also colonize the oral cavity. Treating the overgrowth in the gut using herbal or prescription antimicrobials potentially leaves bacteria in the mouth behind to repopulate the gut once the antimicrobials are withdrawn.
Oil pulling is an Ayurvedic practice originating in India and dating back about 1500 year. It involves vigorously swishing various types of oil around the mouth for 10 to 20 minutes. Several studies and review articles have been published on the practice, most of them finding a significant reduction in the number of bacteria that are associated with plaques, cavities, and gingivitis.
Sesame oil was the type traditionally used. Over time other oils came to be used and studied for their health benefits. The most common types of oil used in studies on oil pulling are coconut, olive, and sesame. Coconut oil is the one with the largest number of studies showing benefit. This makes sense given its high concentration of lauric and caprylic acids, both of which effectively kill both yeast and bacteria. I would recommend either coconut or olive oil, and of course make sure it is organic. One tablespoon is the amount typically used each time. A twenty-minute swishing session, done once daily, can seem like a long time to swish before spitting it out. Fortunately it’s the kind of therapy you can do while doing pretty much anything else at the same time. Except talking on the phone, I suppose.
Oil pulling is a cheap, readily accessible therapy that should be considered by anyone prone to cavities, sore/bleeding gums, or chronic gastrointestinal symptoms that aren’t responding to other therapies. I’m not suggesting other therapies should be discontinued in lieu of oil pulling, but maybe bacteria in the mouth are sabotaging the benefits of those other therapies.
