Oil pulling is not for the weak of heart

The strange phrase “oil pulling” keeps popping up all over my social media and is one of the top search terms on Google and Yahoo. At first glance, I thought it had to do with cars or motorcycles. Judging by the name, I would have never thought it had anything to do with oral hygiene.

So, what is oil pulling? It is the act of swishing coconut, sunflower or sesame oil in your mouth for anywhere between 5-20 minutes. It is supposed to prevent disease, purge toxins, whiten teeth, cure acne, treat gum disease and cure migraines, according to a Shape article, “Does Oil Pulling Really Work?” I am hard pressed to believe something as simple as swishing oil could possibly have all those benefits.

At this point, anecdotal evidence is all we have to go on, as stated in the same Shape article. The article also mentions that actual scientific evidence is not available at this time, as no long term studies have been conducted to date, according to the article.

With no scientific evidence, I am skeptical, but nevertheless, it is a hot topic on social media and search engines. According to an ABC News Denver article, “Oil pulling swish technique picking up in popularity,” it is one of the most searched terms in Minneapolis, Minn., Kansas City, Kansas, Boston, Mass., Seattle, Wash., and Dallas, Texas. Additionally it goes on to say, “there have been 11,506 tweets including the words ‘oil pulling,’ ” in the last 13 days.

With it being so popular, I decided to try it myself. I used coconut oil and swished it each night for 20 minutes, for three days. Beforehand, I was actually rather excited, thinking that it would be like swishing one of those sweet coconut drinks with the little umbrellas. But, what I got instead was an awful aftertaste! It has the flavor and consistency of baking shortening. I remember thinking that first day, “Why would anyone want to put this in his or her mouth?” I barely made it the full 20 minutes without gagging. At the end of each time, I neither felt nor looked any different, and my teeth didn’t look any whiter. By the end of the third day, I still remained optimistic, but after that final 20 minutes, I was disappointed once again. I still didn’t feel or look any different, and my teeth were still no whiter than before.

It is possible that I didn’t continue oil pulling for a long enough time to really notice a difference, but for me, three days was long enough. Until there is more scientific evidence available to prove its effectiveness, I don’t foresee myself oil pulling again any time soon.

The American Dental Association has issued a statement, saying it would not comment on the effectiveness of the practice, because additional research is needed.