One of the Ayurvedic practices is coconut oil pulling. It is swishing coconut oil in your mouth for 10 to 20 minutes, making your mouth healthier. Advocates say that it reduces plaque, whitens teeth, and keeps the mouth fresher. However, there are some drawbacks in this blog by The Article Heaven. Even though it is safe for most people, using coconut oil pulling wrongly or too much could lead to some problems. Now onwards, let’s continue for detailing the downsides.
Also Read – Here Is The 5 Benefits Of Coconut Oil Pulling
1. Aspiration Risk
The most common risk of using this is aspiration. Such happens primarily because of wrong application procedures of this process. The longer an oil swished is, the more chances there are to swallow it because of swallowing during its application.
Lipoid Pneumonia: It is a condition wherein inflammation is caused due to the deposition of lipids within the lung tissues. This is not a common condition but the improper techniques increase the chances.
2. Gastrointestinal Problems
Swallowing small amounts of coconut oil during the pulling process can lead to digestive discomfort for some individuals. Since coconut oil is high in fats, it may cause:
- Upset Stomach: Even small amounts can make sensitive stomachs feel sick or cause diarrhea.
- Allergies: This one is very rare, and a person may have an allergic reaction to coconut oil resulting in bloating or cramping.
3. Jaw and Facial Pain
Swishing oil for 15 to 20 minutes is too much of a task on the jaw and face muscles especially with people who are not comfortable using their mouths for too long. It ends with-
- TMJ Pain: When the TMJ is inflamed, the muscles surrounding the joint will be tender.
- Muscular Fatigue: Doing something a little longer tires the muscles that can make him feel uncomfortable.
4. Chances of Tooth Damage
Oil pulling is the most common natural practice for maintaining healthy teeth and gums, though wrong application leads to damage on the gums or teeth, as elaborated below-
- Enamel etching is the process of wearing away that is achieved by frequent washing over time develops hard with the enamel, particularly over years, if done over rough cleaning methods like the bristles of the brush.
- Gum sensitivity: Coconut oil pull may be tough on the gums if they are sensitive. This is especially if it is done repeatedly, or if it has an impact on the general health of the gums.
5. Failure to complete dental care treatment
Even though oil pulling can be done beyond brushing, flossing, and being seen by your dentist, too much reliance on this practice may eventually result in:
- Oil pulling will not help remove plaque in as much a way that fluoride toothpaste is known for eliminating the plague that causes cavity in the mouth.
- Regular dental check-ups help find other dental problems like, for example, cavities, gum diseases, or even oral cancers that oil pulling cannot fix.
6. Time and Inconvenient
Swishing oil for 15 to 20 minutes per day is not easy under some circumstances.
- Low Compliance: They cannot do it each day, so the benefits of this habit get lost.
- Competing Schedule: The oil pulling is not well fitted for the busy schedule, leading to irritation or avoidance of other oral hygiene practices.
7. Bad Taste or Odour
Not everybody loves coconut oil. It feels greasy to some and makes sick the way it tastes for others. Those who don’t like feeling it might quit using it.
8. Over-hyped Benefits
As oil pulling has become a trend recently, most of its purported benefits do not get scientifically proved. The myths have been:
- Oil pulling and whitening of the teeth: No scientific evidence is present validating that oil pulling whitens the teeth.
- Cure-All Claims: It is believed by many proponents that oil pulling cleanses a body or cures even the most serious of diseases, although scientific evidence has yet to be presented.
Pretty much convinced that oil pulling in coconut oil would be a quite nice addition in oral care, though careful and prudent thinking is borne since indeed if done wrong or even in a very obsessive manner, so then it does pose risk to one’s health and should come, nor more nor less, as a solution from miracle. So, never lose sight of the scientific dentistry regime and place advice from professionals over their myth. All such things, indeed, are for men to reap through their life without danger to health with known risks and due responsibility of usage.