Oil pulling is simple: you swish about a tablespoon of oil in your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes, spit it out, then brush your teeth. That’s the core of it. But the details matter, from which oil you choose to how you dispose of it afterward, so here’s everything you need to do it correctly.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start on an empty stomach, ideally first thing in the morning before eating or brushing. Measure out roughly one tablespoon (about 15 mL) of oil. Coconut oil is the most popular choice, though sesame oil and sunflower oil both work. If you’re using coconut oil and it’s solid, let it melt in your mouth for a few seconds before you begin.
Sitting or standing upright, gently swish the oil around your mouth. Push it between your teeth, pull it across your gums, and keep it moving. Breathe through your nose. You’re not gargling, and you don’t need to swish aggressively. Think of a slow, relaxed pace you can maintain comfortably.
The standard recommendation is 15 to 20 minutes. If that feels impossible at first, start with 5 to 10 minutes and work your way up over a few sessions. The oil will get thinner and increase in volume as it mixes with saliva, which is normal. If your mouth feels too full, spit some out and keep going.
When you’re done, spit the oil into a trash can or onto a paper towel you can throw away. Do not spit it into the sink or toilet. Coconut oil in particular solidifies at room temperature and will clog your pipes over time. Do not swallow the oil, either. After spitting, brush your teeth with your regular toothpaste to clear away any remaining oil and loosened bacteria.
Which Oil Works Best
Coconut, sesame, and sunflower oil are the three most studied options. A triple-blind clinical trial published in the Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences compared all three over 21 days and found that each one improved gum health scores by a similar margin. Coconut oil performed slightly better overall, though the difference between the three was not statistically significant.
Coconut oil does have one unique advantage. It’s rich in lauric acid, which reacts with compounds in saliva to form a soap-like substance. That chemical reaction gives coconut oil a mild cleansing effect that the other oils don’t produce. If you find the taste or texture of coconut oil unpleasant, sesame and sunflower oil are perfectly reasonable alternatives.
How Oil Pulling Affects Your Mouth
The exact mechanism isn’t fully understood, but researchers have proposed three main explanations for why swishing oil might benefit oral health. First, the fat in the oil undergoes a mild saponification process when it contacts the alkaline environment in your mouth, essentially creating a gentle soap that helps lift debris. Second, the viscosity of the oil may physically prevent bacteria from sticking to tooth surfaces and forming plaque. Third, natural antioxidants present in plant oils may help break down bacterial cell walls.
In clinical trials, the practical effects are modest but measurable. A randomized controlled trial found that oil pulling with coconut oil produced a statistically significant reduction in Streptococcus mutans, the primary bacterium responsible for cavities. Across participants, total bacterial counts dropped by 10% to 33%, with an average reduction of about 20% after 40 days of daily practice. Plaque scores also decreased, though the changes were small. A separate study in 60 adults found significant reductions in S. mutans after just two weeks of pulling with coconut oil for 10 minutes daily.
What Results to Expect, and When
Oil pulling is not a dramatic overnight fix. Most people who stick with it report the first noticeable change is fresher breath, often within the first week or two. Improvements in gum health, like less redness or puffiness, tend to show up around the third week of consistent daily use. These are subtle changes, not transformations. You’re unlikely to see whiter teeth or reversed cavities from oil pulling alone.
What the ADA Says
The American Dental Association does not recommend oil pulling as a dental hygiene practice. Their position is straightforward: there are currently no reliable scientific studies showing that oil pulling reduces cavities, whitens teeth, or improves overall oral health and well-being. The ADA continues to recommend brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and flossing once a day as the foundation of oral care.
That doesn’t mean oil pulling is harmful for most people. It means the evidence isn’t strong enough for a professional body to endorse it as a replacement for established habits. If you want to try it, treat it as an addition to brushing and flossing, not a substitute.
Safety Considerations
For most healthy adults, oil pulling carries minimal risk. The two things to avoid are straightforward: don’t swallow the oil (it’s full of bacteria you just pulled from your mouth) and don’t accidentally inhale it. Aspirating oil into the lungs can, in rare cases, cause a condition called lipoid pneumonia. A literature review found 25 documented cases of this type of pneumonia from oil aspiration, mostly in older adults with existing swallowing difficulties or gastrointestinal conditions. If you have trouble swallowing or a condition that affects your gag reflex, oil pulling may not be a good fit.
Children are also more likely to accidentally swallow or inhale the oil, so most practitioners suggest keeping the practice to adults and older teens who can comfortably hold liquid in their mouths for an extended period.
Disposal Tips
The easiest disposal method is spitting directly into a lined trash can. If that feels awkward, spit onto a paper towel, fold it up, and toss it. Some people keep a small jar by the sink and spit into that, then throw the jar away when it’s full. You can also mix the used oil with something absorbent like coffee grounds to solidify it before discarding. The goal is simply to keep it out of your plumbing. Even small daily amounts of oil will build up inside pipes over weeks and months.