Well sure if you have a perfect terrain. I don't know anyone that does with our exposure to chemicals and viruses. The perfect body with a healthy terrain does have a good fighting ability.

But the mouth is a breeding ground. It is exposed all day long. You put food in it. You put your fingers in it. Your gums latch onto whatever enters your mouth and you simply cannot get it completely clean.

There have been more than enough studies about infection in the mouth that cause heart disease and other physical issues. I guess I could post those studies on here, but I don't feel like going over ground already traveled.

I for one am going to hedge my bets on this one. No, I'm not buying into the orthodox medical paradigm, I am completely in reality about my dental health.

If you feel that you have a great physical terrain and if you are a totally clean living individual, then good for you. You don't have to buy into OP, and if you just want to debate it's virtues I don't have the patience to do so. Perhaps someone else here does.

Seems to me we should look at what we DO know about OP. We know that regular toothpaste usually contains glycerin which tends to adhere bacteria to the teeth. Whether glycerin does this by coating the bacteria so our saliva can't do what it is intended to do or whether the glycerin acts as a glue... well, I'm not sure that I know how to helps bacteria to adhere to teeth, we only know that it does help bacteria cling to teeth. The bacteria then do what bacteria do best, i.e. produce acids. The acids in turn dissolve or de-mineralize the tooth enamel. Whether the acid does this to produce food for the bacteria or whether the demineralization is a by-product of normal bacterial activity, I don't know. But, in the process of de-mineralizing the tooth enamel, cavities form, gums recede, and unhealthy pockets develop just beyond the gumline.

Oil pulling brings lots of saliva into the mouth. Saliva is our body's first line of defense against bacteria that harm teeth. Though bacteria elsewhere in the body often go after unhealthy tissue, to say that tooth enamel is unhealthy and therefore bacteria in the mouth are removing unhealthy tissue I think is an incorrect assertion. Tooth enamel isn't typical soft tissue. Toxins don't build up in tooth enamel like they can in soft tissue. One of the main purposes of saliva is to counteract bacteria. But thanks to modern toothpaste that purpose is thwarted. Add to that that many people are on the dehydrated side these days so they don't produce as much saliva and the acid-forming bacteria are suddenly in a position to wreck havoc on teeth virtually unchallenged...enter modern dental problems in abundance. Also, the oil itself may have a countering effect on bacterial acid. But the extra saliva that oil pulling produces in the mouth is probably the main effect of the OP. With plenty of saliva flooding the mouth daily with daily OP, we suddenly have an alkalizing, nearly sterilizing effect as well as perhaps a healing effect taking place as the saliva contains a number of enzymes and different proteins. In the process of abundant saliva, the numbers of bacteria are indeed reduced. I know a researcher who uses bio-resonance testing and he has tested the bacteria count before and after OP and it was significantly reduced. I think the saliva factor is the body's check and balance system. Unfortunately a variety of factors in modern living seems to have significantly reduced the amount of saliva in our mouths, but OP reverses the effects of modern living.

Ok, I'm new to the forum and I am unsure how to get my questions posted. Could you help?

I am on my 4 th day of oil pulling and I am amazed by several benefits and have a ton of questions.

Good discussion topic! I think removing bacteria etc IS a crucial reason oil pulling works so well - and the lymphatic system seems to be key.

I have a dental school grad friend that tells me the reasons you have to do things like root canals, tooth extractions etc instead of treating infections with Antibiotics like everywhere else in the body - is the mouth's lymphatic system. Circulation in teeth is handled by the lymphatic system and isn't up to the job of getting rid of infections.

Infections cause swelling that obstructs the circulation of the lymphatic system so drastic measures must be taken like extractions and canal drilling when they occur.

When I told her I got rid of a raging tooth infection (that the dentist said could only be cured with two root canals) just by pulling with oregano oil - she said it was impossible. Even if the infection "seemed" to be gone temporarily it was hiding somewhere and would be back in 6-9 months. I then told her this happened 3 years ago and my teeth were still good as new. Not severed from their roots and screwed back onto the gums as the dentist recommended.

My point is - the lymphatic system DOES have less circulation especially in and around the teeth, and oil pullings ability to help disinfect and lift out germs/toxins is therefore a HUGE assist for oral health. And I'm guessing is the main reason OP reverses so many cases of gum disease.

Most believe here that OP also cleanses the liver. There's disagreement about what all it does for the body, but it does SO MUCH for your oral health that there's more than enough reason to stick with it. And the direct link between oral and cardiovascular health makes it all the more worthwhile.