Toothaches: Cause, Remedies and Long-term Solutions

Posted on: 28 April 2016

If you're a regular oil puller, you may be keen to carry on pulling when you get pregnant to help you maintain a good level of oral hygiene. Oil pulling is generally considered to be a useful way of removing toxins from your mouth that may help you avoid issues such as dental decay and gum disease. The practice may be particularly useful during this time of your life, as your pregnancy increases the chances of gum problems.

However, oil pulling in pregnancy may not be as easy as you think, even if you have oil pulled without any problems before. This may be a particular problem if you're suffering from morning sickness, and you may need to change how you oil pull to make it work for you.

Pick the Right Time to Oil Pull

Typically, you're advised to oil pull on an empty stomach in the morning. This may not be a great idea if you're suffering from morning sickness. Putting a spoonful of a greasy oil in your mouth or swishing it around for your chosen oil pull time may trigger your nausea and make your morning sickness worse. To avoid this problem, you may find it easier to wait until a time of day when your nausea has completely passed before trying an oil pull.

Change How You Oil Pull

You may have been able to cope with oil pulling with a tablespoon of oil for 20 minutes every day before you got pregnant; this may not be as easy during pregnancy. It may help to reduce the volume of oil in a pull to a teaspoon or less. This puts less liquid in your mouth, helping to reduce feelings of nausea. It may also be a good idea to oil pull for a shorter time. For example, you may be able to manage a 5-minute daily pull.

You can also try changing your position when you oil pull. Tipping your head slightly forward to position the oil at the front of your mouth may help you pull without nausea. This position keeps the oil away from the back of the tongue and your gag reflexes.

Pick the Right Oil

Your taste buds may change in pregnancy, and you may no longer be able to tolerate the taste of the oil you usually use to pull. If your regular oil makes you feel sick, try to find an oil with a taste that better suits your current condition. For example, if strong flavours trigger your morning sickness, you may find it easier to switch to a flavourless oil such as a plain vegetable oil.

In some cases, it may help to use coconut oil, if you can tolerate the taste. This oil comes as a solid that melts in the mouth when you start to oil pull. You may find that this texture suits you better if a liquid oil feels too greasy as soon as you put it in your mouth.

It's important to remember that oil pulling should be used as supplementary dental treatment; it shouldn't replace daily brushing and flossing. If you can't find a way to successfully oil pull through morning sickness, you may be able to replace some of its benefits by using a mouthwash to tackle excess bacteria in your mouth. Talk to your dentist about mouthwashes or rinses that are safe for use in pregnancy.

While there is no evidence that oil pulling is harmful in pregnancy, every pregnant woman has different circumstances. It may be worth talking to your doctor or midwife before you start oil pulling when you're pregnant. Your doctor may recommend that you don't oil pull if your morning sickness lasts all day, especially if you can't find a way to pull without making your morning sickness worse.For more information, contact clinics like Creative Dentistry.