Swishing coconut oil in your mouth, a practice called oil pulling, reduces plaque and gum inflammation when done consistently over several weeks. The technique has roots in Ayurvedic medicine and has gained modern popularity for its oral health benefits, though some of the bolder claims about detoxification and disease prevention don’t hold up to scrutiny.
How It Works in Your Mouth
When you swish coconut oil around your teeth and gums, two things happen. First, the oil physically coats surfaces and gets between teeth, loosening bacteria-laden plaque through a mechanical flushing action. Second, your saliva triggers a chemical reaction with the fat in the oil, a process called saponification. Essentially, your saliva’s natural bicarbonate ions break down the fat and create a mild soap-like effect. This increases the oil’s surface area and enhances its ability to lift debris off teeth and gums.
Coconut oil is about 50% lauric acid, a medium-chain fatty acid with well-documented antimicrobial properties. When lauric acid breaks down during swishing, it produces compounds that are active against several harmful oral microorganisms, including the cavity-causing bacterium Streptococcus mutans and the yeast Candida albicans, which is responsible for oral thrush. Lab studies have also shown activity against Staphylococcus aureus and several other Candida species.
What the Clinical Evidence Shows
The strongest evidence for coconut oil pulling involves gum health and plaque reduction. In a clinical study on plaque-related gingivitis, participants who oil pulled daily saw their gingival index (a measure of gum inflammation) drop from 0.91 at baseline to 0.40 after 30 days. Their plaque index fell even more dramatically, from 1.19 to 0.39. Both reductions were statistically significant. These improvements are comparable to what you’d expect from an antiseptic mouthwash over the same period.
For teeth whitening, the picture is less impressive. One study comparing coconut oil pulling to a whitening mouthwash containing hydrogen peroxide found that oil pulling did produce a measurable color change after two weeks, but the whitening mouthwash outperformed it at both one and two weeks. If whiter teeth are your main goal, oil pulling alone probably won’t deliver the results you’re hoping for.
Claims That Don’t Hold Up
Online sources frequently claim oil pulling can detoxify the body, prevent cancer, cure headaches, or strengthen teeth from within. None of these claims are supported by clinical evidence. A review published in the British Dental Journal found no basis for the idea that swishing oil “pulls toxins” from the bloodstream through the oral mucosa. The concept of pulling out “ama” (toxins) comes from traditional Ayurvedic philosophy, not from any observable biological mechanism.
Oil pulling does appear to be a useful supplemental hygiene practice for your mouth specifically. Treating it as a whole-body cure, though, goes well beyond what any study has demonstrated.
How to Do It
Most clinical studies use about one tablespoon (10 milliliters) of coconut oil. You place it in your mouth, let it melt if it’s solid, and gently swish it between your teeth. Don’t gargle it at the back of your throat. The recommended duration ranges from 10 to 20 minutes depending on the study, with 10 minutes being the most common in clinical trials using coconut oil. Some researchers have suggested doing it twice daily, but most protocols call for once a day, typically in the morning before eating or brushing.
When you’re done, spit the oil into a tissue or trash can. Coconut oil solidifies at room temperature and will clog your plumbing over time if you spit it into the sink. Never spit it down the drain, even in small amounts. If you want to be extra cautious, keep a small disposable container near your bathroom sink for this purpose.
Risks and Precautions
Oil pulling is generally safe for most people, but there is one real risk worth knowing about: accidentally inhaling the oil into your lungs. Case reports have documented a condition called lipoid pneumonia in people who regularly aspirated oil during the swishing process. In one case, a 66-year-old man who had been doing oil pulling for eight months developed a persistent dry cough that turned out to be lipoid pneumonia. In another, a 38-year-old woman became short of breath after six months of daily practice. Both cases involved sesame oil rather than coconut oil, and both patients sometimes accidentally inhaled the oil while swishing.
The takeaway is straightforward: keep the oil in the front of your mouth, don’t tilt your head back, and don’t swish so aggressively that you risk inhaling it. If you have a strong gag reflex or difficulty controlling liquids in your mouth, oil pulling may not be a good fit for you. Children and older adults with swallowing difficulties should avoid it entirely.
Swallowing the oil isn’t dangerous in small amounts, but it defeats the purpose. After 10 to 20 minutes of swishing, the oil is loaded with bacteria and debris. Spit it out.
Where It Fits in Your Routine
Oil pulling is not a replacement for brushing and flossing. It works as a supplement to your existing routine, not a substitute. The mechanical cleaning of a toothbrush and the fluoride in toothpaste do things that oil simply cannot replicate. Think of it as an additional step, similar to using mouthwash, that can help reduce the bacterial load in your mouth and support healthier gums over time.