Oil Pulling: What Swishing Oil Can and Can't Do for Your Mouth

Oil pulling means swishing a spoonful of oil, usually coconut or sesame, around your mouth for several minutes before spitting it out. It’s sold in jars, single-serve packets and flavored “pulling oils” with promises of fresher breath, whiter teeth and a “detoxed” mouth. Here is how those promises hold up.

Myth: it replaces brushing and flossing

The American Dental Association¹ says there are no reliable scientific studies showing that oil pulling reduces cavities, whitens teeth or improves oral health. It doesn’t recommend oil pulling as a dental hygiene practice.¹ Its advice stays simple: brush twice a day for two minutes with fluoride toothpaste, clean between your teeth once a day, and don’t use tobacco.¹

What the studies found

A 2022 analysis combined nine small randomized trials with 344 people, using sesame or coconut oil.²

• Bacteria in saliva: oil pulling lowered bacterial counts in saliva compared with control groups.²
• Plaque: no significant difference.²
• Gum inflammation: no significant difference.²

The authors rated four of the trials as low quality and called for larger, better-designed studies.² Lower bacteria counts in a saliva sample don’t show that you’ll have fewer cavities or healthier gums.

Myth: it’s harmless because it’s natural

Swallowing a little oil isn’t the worry. Breathing it in is. A 2015 report described two people who developed lipoid pneumonia, lung inflammation caused by oil in the airways, after months of daily sesame oil pulling or nasal rinsing with frequent or occasional aspiration. Both had abnormal chest scans, and both improved after stopping.³

These cases are rare. If you have swallowing problems, a strong gag reflex, reflux, or a history of choking or chest infections, skip oil pulling or ask your doctor first. If you develop a cough or shortness of breath that won’t clear, tell your doctor you’ve been oil pulling.

If you still want to try it

• Keep brushing with fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between your teeth.¹
• Spit the oil into the trash, not the sink, since solid oils can clog drains.
• Don’t swish while lying down, and don’t gargle the oil toward your throat.
• Compare the price of “pulling oil” with plain coconut or sesame oil from the grocery store.

Breath that won’t freshen

If bad breath lasts despite brushing and cleaning between your teeth, see your dentist, who can look for causes such as gum disease or dry mouth.

Try: “My breath isn’t fresh even though I brush and floss. Could it be my gums, dry mouth or something else, and what would you suggest?”

Is It My Breath? includes a visit script. Use it to organize your questions about breath, gums and products before your next dental visit.