Many of you know about the amount of research I do with natural medicine. But few know how often I challenge “healing techniques.” Here is my latest challenge.
December 2015 I had my annual dental checkup. It was ok, but my dentist was concerned with the slow decline of my mouth health. About 80% of my teeth showed slight receding of the gums, I had 4 cavities and at least 3 areas where the enamel was soft and beginning to become a concern. I had severe sensitivity in several teeth. I also had a lot of bleeding gums – mostly due to my chronic Vitamin C deficiency. As I am very allergic to supplemental Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), I am unable to supplement and it is a challenge to find effective substitutes. I already had really good dental hygiene practices – brushing regularly, flossing (and I really do floss everyday) and a great toothpaste. I declined getting the cavities fixed then and there as I had just read an article on oil pulling, claiming to reverse cavities. Well, here is my chance to check this out!
So I did 3 things. I bought an electric toothbrush. (Upon recommendation from my dentist). I was already using a great natural toothpaste, but I wanted to step it up a notch, so I changed it. And I started the daily practice of oil pulling.
The electric toothbrush was hard to get used to. But after a week, I liked it. I think I even became more dedicated to daily brushing. I was using Auramere Mint-Free Ayurvedic Herbal Toothpaste as this is a great toothpaste for people who regularly take homeopathic remedies. However, with the new toothbrush, I found the foaming a little out of control. So I switched to the foam free (also SLS free) version of the Auramere Ayurvedic Toothpaste (Yes, both versions are available in my clinic). Nope, didn’t like it at first, but being the cheap Ukrainian I am, I didn’t want to waste it. I persevered through the first tube and by the time I finished it, I couldn’t go back to the foaming mouth.
Then came the oil pulling. The internet is full of good instructions, so I will skip that and go straight to my experience. The first day I swished it in my mouth for only 10 minutes. I felt like my checks and tongue had done too many pushups. I could barely smile. But again, I had bought a whole jar of coconut oil, especially for this purpose, so it was not going to waste. After a couple of days, it got better. And I was able to go to the suggested 10 minutes two times a day or 20 minutes once a day routine. Which I did as time allowed.
Moving forward, I am unlike any of my patients, and I slid off the wagon with the daily oil pulling after about 3 or 4 months. I was pulling at least a couple of times a week. Then I was totally off the wagon for about 1 month, but really started to notice the negative change in my mouth, so I started again. I can honestly say I do the pulling at least 2 to 4 times a week now. I will often use the coconut oil (with a little baking soda) instead of toothpaste.
Back to the dentist January of 2017. I was looking forward to the results of my ‘experiment.’ I had a cleaning and checkup. The hygienist didn’t say too much until the dentist came in for the checkup. My dentist was amazed. She said she had to look at the x-rays several times as the cavities were gone. Only one of the soft areas remained and that one was not nearly as much of a concern as the previous checkup. My gums had improved drastically. There was no areas of receding gums, very little bleeding, no sensitivity at all. She said it was a completely different mouth, very, very much improved. And the best side effect of oil pulling – my teeth had whitened so much she asked if I had used a whitener. She commented the gum improvement and lack of plaque build up was likely due to the electric brush. The sensitivity improvement was likely due to the toothpaste (after I taught her about all the healing herbs and what they do).
Oil Pulling challenge – passed!
