Include Oil Pulling as part of your oral hygiene and detox routine
When we sleep, our digestive system remains awake, removing toxins from our body by depositing them on the surface of our tongue. This process can cause bacteria to accumulate. If we have poor dental hygiene this bacteria can cause plaque build-up and gum disease. This results in inflammation in the mouth. If left untreated all the bacteria and inflammatory chemicals get reabsorbed back into the body. This weakens the immune system and can cause a whole variety of different diseases.
The normal recommended oral hygiene is to avoid foods and drinks high in sugar and acids. They are detrimental to our teeth and gums and should be replaced with alkalising foods. Green vegetables and legumes are alkalising, therefore they help balance the pH levels inside the mouth and reduce acidity.
A recommended ayurvedic oral routine
- Using a tongue scraper, Scrape your tongue first thing in the morning to remove all toxins that have deposited on your tongue while your body detoxified overnight.
- Oil pulling using coconut oil works by detoxing the oral cavity. It sucks out the toxins from your mouth resulting in improvement in your oral and overall health
- Brush your teeth with toothpaste that is made from natural products that are found in health shops.
Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic Dental Technique
Oil pulling involves keeping a tablespoon of oil in your mouth and swishing it around through your teeth for around 20 minutes every day before your first meal. Traditionally, Indians used sunflower or sesame oil for oil pulling. Coconut oil is now a popular choice because it has a pleasant taste and is high in lauric acid, which is known to reduce inflammation and kill bacteria.
Most bacteria accumulates in your mouth throughout the night while you sleep so the best time to oil pull is first thing in the morning:
- Before eating breakfast, place approximately 1 teaspoon of organic coconut oil in your mouth. Begin to push and pull it around the teeth and gums.
- Swish the oil in the mouth for up to 10-20 minutes. This can be done at the same time as having your shower or preparing your breakfast.
- Spit the oil out when you are done. NEVER SWALLOW THE OIL after pulling because it will have become toxic. Rinse your mouth out thoroughly with warm water and brush your teeth.
- Be sure to spit the coconut oil into a toilet or trash can, as it could return to solid form once in your drain pipes and cause a clog.
I practice daily tongue cleaning and oil pulling. I like to include it as part of my detox routine. I have also found it to be so beneficial to reducing gum disease and my Dentist is delighted with that. . The aid is to reduce our toxic load which helps minimise inflammation in the body.
This routine supports a healthy immune system and that’s what it is all about!