In a new study from the Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland, scientists compared the effects of coconut oil versus toothpaste inside the mouth. They found that there are certain advantages that go along with swapping your old toothpaste for a spoonful of coconut oil.
How Does Coconut Oil Outshine Toothpaste?
Coconut oil can clean your teeth and prevent decay better than any mouthwash or toothpaste with fluoride on the market. Additionally, there are zero side effects since coconut is natural, and no chemicals to worry about.
The study says that coconut oil is able to kill common strains of bacteria in the mouth better than toothpaste. That includes something particularly harmful called Candida albicans.
What Does Coconut Oil Have That Toothpaste Doesn’t?
Coconut oil has properties that eliminate yeast in the mouth. Yeast is associated with common dental diseases and decay, so cutting down on yeast will make it more difficult for dental diseases to prosper.
Not only is yeast bad for tooth health, it also has side effects for the digestive tract. Yeast appears to live best in environments where the diet is high in processed foods and sugar. Toothpaste doesn’t appear to have the same effect on yeast.
Coconut oil is also an effective alternative to the chemicals in most tooth care products.
How Much Coconut Oil And What To Do With It?
The study used one spoonful of coconut oil to clean teeth.
If you are exploring some different methods to use the coconut oil, you may want to look into oil pulling. This involves taking a spoonful of oil and putting it in your mouth. Allow it to melt and swish the oil back in forth in your mouth like you would with mouthwash. I have tried this and I will tell you it takes some time to get used to. The coconut oil is in a solid state when you put it in your mouth—but, trust me, it does melt. The articles I have read mention doing this for about 30 minutes. I typically will put it in my mouth and then hop in the shower while swishing. Once you are finished, be sure to spit out the oil—you don’t want to swallow all of the residue and gunk that it just washed off those pearly whites.
