Should You Do Oil Pulling Before or After Brushing Your Teeth?
A simple gesture, but often done in the wrong order: should oil pulling come before or after your morning brushing?
No, in Ayurvedic tradition, oil pulling is practiced before brushing your teeth, never after, and always fasted in the morning. Our base article on oil pulling presents the practice as a whole; this one specifically answers the question of its order with brushing, a common point of confusion.
Why the traditional order puts oil first
The oil is traditionally described as a "preparation" gesture for the mouth: it captures some of the bacteria and residue built up overnight before you spit it out, and brushing then completes the cleaning on teeth already partly cleared of the bacterial film. Doing the reverse — brushing then practicing oil pulling — reintroduces into a freshly cleaned mouth the very residue the oil is meant to capture first, which works against the logic of the practice.
How the full morning sequence unfolds
- Get up, before any food or drink.
- Practice oil pulling for ten to twenty minutes, using sesame or coconut oil depending on preference.
- Spit out the oil (never into the sink, to avoid clogging pipes) and rinse your mouth with warm water.
- Brush your teeth normally.
This sequence fits into the broader set of dinacharya gestures, the daily Ayurvedic routine.
What research shows about oil pulling
A study by Asokan, Rathan, Muthu, Rathna, Emmadi, Raghuraman and Chamundeswari, published in 2008 in the Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, measured the effect of sesame-oil pulling on the amount of Streptococcus mutans present in the dental plaque and saliva of twenty children (see the study on Google Scholar). After one week of daily practice, a significant reduction in this cavity-linked bacterium was observed. The study doesn't compare the order with brushing, but it does confirm the oil has a measurable effect on oral flora, consistent with the idea of having it act first on a not-yet-cleaned mouth.
Useful clarifications
| Frequent question | Traditional answer |
|---|---|
| Can you swallow the oil afterward? | No, it must be spat out: it has captured residue that shouldn't be re-swallowed |
| Should you rinse your mouth between the oil and brushing? | Yes, a warm-water rinse is recommended before brushing your teeth |
| Can you do oil pulling in the evening instead? | Less traditional, but possible if morning isn't an option, always fasted |
Precautions
Oil pulling doesn't replace daily brushing or regular dentist visits, and shouldn't be presented as a treatment for cavities or established gum disease. In case of persistent dental issues, see a dentist. See our safety and precautions guide.
Your questions about should you do oil pulling before or after brushing your teeth?
Should oil pulling come before or after brushing your teeth?
Before, always: Ayurvedic tradition puts the oil first to capture residue built up overnight, before brushing completes the cleaning.
What happens if you do oil pulling after brushing?
It isn’t dangerous, but it works against the logic of the practice: the oil is meant to act on a mouth still holding residue, not on already-cleaned teeth.
Does a study confirm the effect of oil pulling on oral bacteria?
A 2008 study in children found that one week of daily oil pulling significantly reduced the amount of Streptococcus mutans, a cavity-linked bacterium, in plaque and saliva.
Can you swallow the oil used for oil pulling?
No, the oil must be spat out after the practice, never swallowed or spat into the sink, since it contains the residue and bacteria it captured during the twenty-minute rinse.
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