After oil pulling, you should spit the oil into a trash can, rinse your mouth thoroughly, and then brush and floss as normal. The sequence matters because the oil collects bacteria during swishing, and skipping any of these steps can leave that bacteria behind or, worse, send it down your drain where it causes clogs.
Spit the Oil Into the Trash
Once you’ve finished swishing (typically 15 to 20 minutes), the oil will have changed from clear to a milky white, thin consistency. That color change happens because the oil has mixed with saliva and pulled bacteria and debris from your teeth and gums. Spit all of it out completely.
Spit into a tissue or paper towel and toss it in the trash rather than into your sink or toilet. Coconut oil in particular solidifies below about 76°F, and any oil can coat the inside of pipes over time. Repeated spitting into a drain will eventually cause a clog. A small trash bin next to your bathroom sink makes this step easy to build into a routine.
Why You Should Never Swallow the Oil
The used oil contains bacteria, food particles, and other debris pulled from your mouth during swishing. Swallowing it reintroduces all of that into your body. Beyond the general unpleasantness, there’s a more serious risk: accidentally inhaling even small amounts of oil into your lungs can cause a condition called lipoid pneumonia. A case report published in BMC Pulmonary Medicine documented two patients who developed this after months of sesame oil pulling. One had been doing it nightly for eight months and frequently aspirated small amounts. In mild cases the lungs recover once you stop the practice, but severe cases can be dangerous.
The takeaway is simple. Spit thoroughly, and if you notice yourself gagging or struggling to keep the oil in your mouth during a session, use less oil next time. A tablespoon is standard, but starting with a teaspoon reduces the chance of accidental aspiration.
Rinse Your Mouth Well
After spitting, swish warm water around your mouth for 30 seconds or so to clear any oily residue. Some people prefer warm salt water, which can help break up the remaining oil film and has its own mild antibacterial properties. About half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water works well. Spit the rinse water into the sink (it’s just water and trace oil at this point, so it won’t cause plumbing issues).
This rinse step is easy to skip, but it makes a real difference. Oil clings to soft tissue, and brushing over a slick of oil is less effective than brushing a rinsed surface. Think of it as clearing the workspace before you do the real cleaning.
Brush, Then Floss
Brushing after oil pulling, not before, is the recommended order. The goal is to remove whatever the oil loosened plus any oily residue still coating your teeth. Use your regular fluoride toothpaste and brush for a full two minutes. If you oil pull first thing in the morning, this simply becomes your normal morning brushing.
Follow brushing with flossing. Oil pulling can reach broad surfaces of your teeth and gums, but it can’t get into the tight spaces between teeth the way floss can. The American Dental Association is clear that oil pulling should never replace brushing and flossing. In fact, the ADA does not recommend oil pulling as a dental hygiene practice at all, citing a lack of reliable scientific evidence that it reduces cavities, whitens teeth, or improves oral health. Whether you choose to oil pull or not, twice-daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste and daily flossing remain the foundation of oral care.
Consider Scraping Your Tongue
If you already own a tongue scraper, right after oil pulling is a good time to use it. Oil pulling may loosen some of the coating on your tongue, but it won’t fully clear it. A tongue scraper physically removes the layer of bacteria, dead cells, and food debris that accumulates on the tongue’s surface, especially toward the back.
The benefits are straightforward. Bacteria on the back of the tongue react with certain foods to produce sulfur compounds, which are a major source of bad breath that brushing and flossing alone don’t address. Scraping also removes a film that can dull your taste buds. People who scrape regularly often report that flavors taste stronger and more distinct afterward. A few gentle passes from back to front, rinsing the scraper between each pass, is all it takes.
Drink Water Afterward
Once you’ve completed the full sequence of spit, rinse, brush, floss, and optionally scrape, drink a glass of water. You’ve just spent 15 to 20 minutes with oil in your mouth, and your mouth will feel dry. Water helps restore normal saliva flow, and saliva is your mouth’s natural defense against bacteria throughout the day. There’s no need to wait any specific amount of time after brushing. Just drink when you’re ready.
Eating and Drinking After Oil Pulling
Most people oil pull on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, so breakfast naturally follows the routine. There’s no required waiting period after you’ve finished the full aftercare sequence. Once you’ve brushed and rinsed, your mouth is clean and ready for food. If you used fluoride toothpaste, waiting about 30 minutes before eating helps the fluoride absorb into your enamel, but that’s standard post-brushing advice and has nothing to do with oil pulling specifically.
Coffee, tea, and acidic juices are all fine after you’ve completed your oral care routine. The oil itself is long gone at this point, so there’s no interaction to worry about.
The Full Post-Pulling Sequence
- Spit into a tissue or trash can. Never into the sink, and never swallow.
- Rinse with warm water (plain or lightly salted) for about 30 seconds.
- Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste for two minutes.
- Floss to reach the spaces oil pulling can’t.
- Scrape your tongue if you have a scraper handy.
- Drink a glass of water to rehydrate and support saliva production.
The whole aftercare routine takes about five minutes on top of the pulling itself. If you’re going to invest the time in oil pulling, following through on these steps ensures you’re actually clearing the bacteria the oil loosened rather than leaving it behind.