Day 1 The periodontist tells me that #18 has an 8mm pocket, and that he becomes concerned when it’s a 3. My root is very exposed. I need bone tissue from a dead person and soft tissue graft from the roof of my mouth. The hope would be that these would take.

My plan is to do the following for two months, then return to the perio to see if there’s any improvement.

1. Oil pull

2. Extra vitamin c (I’m on 10 salt and c)

3. Brush softly

4. Drink apple cider vinegar in water

5. Try baking soda rinse, don’t rinse at bedtime

6. Start the irrigator again (I’d stopped after my three extractions)

He said there’s been a lot of bone loss above missing #14, and was so surprised to hear that I’d had #3 extracted at the same time as #14. Must have been infection eating at the bone.

Since no adult tooth grew at #20, bone never grew there, so I was at a disadvantage from the beginning.

Here’s a thermograph that was taken a couple of years ago. The red area is where I had a top and bottom tooth extracted – pano showed infection (Lagos hadn’t seen this).

Day 2

I swished with sesame oil for ten minutes this morning first thing, before brushing my teeth. That’s all I could do it for. Kept feeling like I needed to swallow and I didn’t want to swallow any bacteria-laden oil.

I water picked last night, which I realized I miss, and again today after a snack. I have to be gentle around the base of the exposed root.

I was happy to read all the heartfelt testimonials.

I heard from Dr. Lagos’s office. Tanya sent an article by Leo Cashman about ‘sterile’ bone implants from cadavers not being so sterile, and also a summary about Bruce Fife’s book on oil pulling. He recommends 15 minutes a day, and you might not see noticeable results for at least two months. This encourages me because I was feeling the tooth root more, and a stiff neck, and I believe these are part of the healing crisis as he writes about. There is however, a big improvement in how much of a healing crisis compared to years ago when I oil pulled for long periods. I got so depressed and yucky, remember?

Day 3

I swished with sesame oil for 15 minutes at 7am today. Then at 10:30, again with an empty stomach, I pulled with coconut oil for the first time for about 12 minutes. Got very tired later and had to nap, but this could have been due to so many other things (anti-worm smoothie, 15 mg of zinc that makes my pee smell like poo). Bloated tonight, but it’s not as big as it used to be. I do feel that my load has lessened. Am on 10 grams of salt and c.

Day 5

My skin looks great. Plump and healthy. Oil pulling did this for me years ago as well. Had to take a quick nap today, tired.

Day 6

Coconut oil, swished twice today, for fifteen minutes. It remains watery, doesn’t get thick. My ‘Oil Pulling Therapy’ book by Dr. Fife arrived, used, from Amazon. Good reading tonight. I have great energy. (But had to take a half hour nap today.) I started on serious probiotic foods today as well. I think I have a major lack of enzymes.

Day 7

Coconut oil, in am and in afternoon, fifteen minutes. I have had a pimple above my right eyebrow for three days now. I haven’t had a pimple in years.

Also, now that I am reading Oil Pulling Therapy and being reminded about how it all works, I remember that since I started OPing seven days ago, there have been a few times where I’ve felt very mild sensations in the areas where tooth #3 and tooth #14 were (I had those extracted by Dr. Lagos six months ago because he said the pano showed that they were infected. For #3 at least, this was confirmation from an electrodermal screening I’d done a month before, which told me of the infection in the tooth). And when I saw the perio last week, he mentioned how much bone I’d somehow lost where #14 used to be. He said infection can eat away the bone, so maybe that is what happened there. Anyway, back to the mild sensations in those two areas since oil pulling. Maybe the bacteria are still there, and I’m feeling them trying to fight against the killing action of the oil.

Day 8

I really like how my mouth feels after oil pulling. My lips are shiny and hydrated, my teeth look whiter, my mouth feels fresh and clean.

Tooth #3, upper left: suspicious gum activity?

Today I will op three times, for twenty minutes each. I am determined to suck infectious organisms out of my mouth and into the trash. I wonder if my health issues started with infections in my mouth. Look at this tooth.

This was tooth # 3 (upper right) before I had it extracted in Mexico by Dr. Lagos six months ago. You can see the the gum recession. Gum recession can be caused by bacterial infection, a.k.a., periodontitis. This tooth showed up energetically when I went to see the electrodermal screening doctor, without my saying anything about my mouth at all. Without my telling Dr. Lagos anything about it either, he saw it as infected when he looked at my panoramic xray. The three of these factors combined is what made me decide to get it extracted.

But back to oil pulling. I’m only on Day 8, and I read it can take months for oil pulling to do what you want it to do (clear up any systemic health problems while improving oral health). I’m excited to share what I find about the state of my teeth and gums on Day 60.

Also, don’t know if this is related or not, but I’ve had a few heart palps since starting oping AND since starting my major probiotic diet. Mercury release?

Day 9

Yesterday I OPed 20, 20 and 10. I only did it for 10 the third time because it felt like it got so watery and thin that I wondered if it’d be best to spit it out since it might be full of germs.

This morning I OPed for 20 minutes, but halfway through I spit it out and took a new tbsp. of the coconut oil.

Last night I dreamt a LOT which I love because I think in good health you dream. I also slept very well. BUT I noticed that in the late afternoon, when I tried to read, my mind was all over the place and I was reading the same sentence over and over. Also I got a bit down in the dumps yesterday, which has happened historically when I release mercury, or so I think.

Day 10

My gum bone is not growing back yet! Ah, well, patience.

I slept great again last night.

Am doing the liver flush tonight, but am still oil pulling because my last five liver flushes I am getting stones out despite eating fat on the day of the flush.

LATER: Angry, depressed. Cried a couple of times. Healing crisis from 3x a day oil pulling. I haven’t been depressed in ages. I know it’s not the Modifilan because I’ve been doing that 3 times a week and it’s caused no problem. Must be a healing crisis.

Day 12

Have been OPing with sesame oil for the last two or three days. It might be affecting me more than the coconut oil. I feel as though I’ve started a healing crisis, but not with down in the dumps as a symptom, but rather two other old symptoms: hair falling out after the shower (this was the second time it’s happened, the first was about four days ago), and, starting today, major all over body stiffness. This could also be the result of getting back up to my 10g salt and c regimen, which had turned to only 6 and 7 for the past two days due to the liver flush.

Also I am HUGELY bloated, more than I’ve been in months. Like very pregnant bloated. This too could be sesame oil die off?

DAY 16

Yesterday I felt twinges in my lower left jaw, in the area of bone that I’m trying to heal with oil pulling. I told myself that they were twinges of bone regrowing. Today, when I run my tongue along the inside of the #18 tooth, it feels like the gum has closed up a little next to the bottom of the tooth. On the buccal/cheek side, when I move my lower jaw around, it somehow feels less raw, even though when I look at it in the mirror the root still looks exposed. I am encouraged.

I have been gently irrigating about twice a day. Lots of food remnants come out. The less for bacteria to thrive on.

I’m still on sesame oil. Twice yesterday for 15 minutes, same today. Feel good. Am practicing Chopra’s 7 Laws of Spiritual Success (one of them is acceptance!).

DAY 21

Yesterday and the day before I OPed twice, both with sesame oil. Both days I felt tired in the afternoon, so had to lie down for half an hour and sleep. When I do this, I am out like a light, and then just as suddenly wake up only 30 minutes later, ready to get up. This happens during healing crises, I have found, like when I did Larry Wilson’s Nutritional Balancing program.

I have been drinking raw milk, eating a bit of homemade yogurt made with the milk, since beginning practice of meditation and reading the 7 Spiritual Laws. All this time of dealing with my physicality and symptoms, and now I start on the spiritual aspect, and I am very grateful. I’m also reading the Power of Now, a book I read many years ago and will always love. These books are from my yoga teaching training, which starts next month. So how does this relate to oil pulling??

My breath, when I exhale, smells better. My mouth always feels super clean and fresh after I oil pull, rinse with salt water, then brush with my baking soda/salt tooth powder. I am actually glad that that #30 temporary crown fell off, because it made it hard to floss properly, and whenever I pulled out the floss from between the teeth it would smell. One day soon though I will need to get it replaced. I am going to see the EAV guy who can tell me which material will be energetically safe for me to use. We are made up of energy.

DAY 24

So I’ve been swishing with coconut oil since I ran out of sesame oil. About five days? And my tongue is easily finding that crack between my #18 crown lower left and the gum. I thought that had been closing up. Thankfully I found a half full bottle of sesame oil way back in the kitche cupboard so I’ll start OPing with that now.

Today I drive two hours to see the EAV guy. He will use his laptop and finger probe to tell me which dental materials I am energetically good with, so that I can go to the dentist and get a permanent crown that will replace my temporary crown that I swallowed a month ago.

DAY 25

Gap feels like it’s closing up again on the sesame oil. I’m also taking larger doses of the Blue Ice fermented cod liver oil/high butter oil (I am a big Weston Price fan!). Today I will oil pull three times. I’ve started adding two drops of tea tree oil to the sesame to increase germ-fighting abilities. The electrodermal screening guy I saw yesterday said that I still have some bacterial infection in my jawbone above two upper teeth. Always an adventure!

When I swish, I’ll feel mucus come up a bit in the back of my throat. I learned weeks ago that I can just bend my head forward a bit to keep the oil out of my throat, then swallow the mucus back down. No oil goes down my throat. Then when I spit out the oil, I can hawk the yucky stuff up and out. My family loves this moment.

DAY 31

I have OPed twice with sesame oil today, for 15 minutes each time, and will do so again before bedtime.

My lower left jaw, where the tooth I’m trying to heal is, felt like it was aching a bit today. Not an ache, but just a feeling there that I did not like. It may have to do with taking 10 Modifilan today. I know that that’s affected my teeth/gum areas before (just like DMSA used to, so I’d think it was mercury and/or infection related). But it stopped feeling like that a while ago. My bite is still off.

DAY 33

‘Space’ area, bottom left where two teeth are missing, feels better. I’ve been doing more Green Pastures last few days. And OPing three times a day with two drops of tea tree oil in sesame oil. Modifilan is no longer making that area feel weird.

Day 34

Only OPed twice today. Sesame oil and a few drops of tea tree oil as always. It gets watery by minute 15. I read in Bruce Fife’s book that it’s fine to oil pull after a meal, which is a good thing, because I don’t often have an empty stomach since I graze all day long.

When I look at my tooth in the mirror, I don’t see improvement on the eroded gum side, but inside my mouth the two tooth space area feels better, like bone has grown back or something.

Day 39

Taking about 1.5 tsp total of the Green Pastures clo/butter oil. My ‘space’ feels stronger and more filled in. Maybe it’s the OPing, don’t know. BUT I have to stop the raw milk. I’ve been drinking it every day for five days straight and though I love it, I am stiff – neck especially. Back to coconut milk.

OPed twice today, 15-20 minutes each time. Still on sesame oil with three drops of tea tree oil.

Day 44

Swished twice yesterday but only once the day before that. I took pictures last night of my lower left and I don’t see much improvement. Please still be my friend after you view this picture.

Day 53

Still swishing twice a day. I feel like I should change up my oil to liven things up, but for now I’ll stick with sesame with the few drops of tea tree oil. Teeth feel clean after I swish. I still rinse out with salt water afterwards. Body is feeling more lithe, flexible. I am eating real wheat bread (sourdough), with no ill effects.I continue with the butter/cod liver oil to help with bone formation in my lower left side. Did I tell you that the EAV guy said I still have an infection above some teeth? Different ones than I had out last August. The oil pulling, and his nosodes, will help.

Day 61

Alas, I looked in a mirror today to see that I can now see the other exposed root behind the first, in the gumline I’m trying to heal. Comparing this picture to the ones I took one and two months ago, I see that the other root was visible back then as well, but my camera angles were lacking. I have been oil pulling twice daily for fifteen minutes every day. Today is Day 61.

I was doing some reading online about tooth decay and reversing bone loss and came across the work of Ramiel Nagel, who helped his daughter and himself to remineralize decaying teeth. Diet, he writes, is key. We know this of course, but what about for those of us who are already following the dietary principles of Weston A. Price? Fermented foods, pasture-raised animal fats, vegetables, soaked and dried nuts etc? This has been my mainstay for years, however, my house has recently, mysteriously acquired chocolate chips, chocolate coconut ice cream, chocolate covered almonds from Trader Joe’s that I can assure you are not health-promoting. Not to mention tea with honey daily.

Nagel strongly discourages seeds and other high phytic acid foods. He says yes to raw milk. I’ll be able to tell you more once I read his book. But this morning, after I looked at both my tooth roots in the mirror, I grabbed my sesame oil bottle to take a swig and then stopped. If Nagel is right on the seeds thing – and I know the oil has different components from the seed itself – perhaps sesame oil would not be the best swishing oil for me? So I started back on coconut oil as of today. He does, by the way, speak well of OPing. However, I'm sure the sesame and other seed oils are fine, if they are quality brands. Too many people have gotten great results using them.

So, after my 60 day oil pulling experiment, I have this to say: swishing with sesame and coconut oil, twice a day, for 15 minutes each time, has not yet stopped my gum recession. Plus I still see yellow at the bottom of my teeth where they meet the gum, in general. Keep in mind, however, that this tooth is a severe case. I did feel like I benefitted in other ways, like clean teeth. I will persevere, as I always do. My rx is:

1. A read of Cure Tooth Decay, by Ramiel Nagel, and the resulting diet adjustment

2. Coconut oil swishing, twice a day (Fife does say it could take months)

3. Seeing a new dentist, one who is an IAOMT member

4. Increasing raw dairy for the calcium and other minerals to help remineralize and stop bone loss (I love this part)

5. Increase bone broths and sauerkraut

6. Switch to an ascorbate form of vitamin c, and up my minerals. Maybe so much ascorbic acid I take is not the best form for me.

7. Research ways to fix my malocclusion (bad bite), which I now think could be the reason for this area being so irritated. Perhaps my gum loss is not infection-caused after all, although many other people's gum issues are (and so OPing would be great for them).

And there you have it. I will update soon. Next week I am to get Cranial Fascial Therapy done - two sessions in two days. I am hoping this will help me with my bite problems. I'll let you know how it goes!

EDIT 4.4.14: I am seeing a dentist now who has told me that she thinks the crown on my back molar - the gum under which I was trying to improve with oil swishing - is not good. And that that alone - a misfitting crown - can cause gum recession underneath.

All this to say, don't knock oil pulling til you've tried it! I now do it for about 1-2 minutes in the am and pm, for its germicidal actions. I do it for such a short time because I read on earthclinic.com that the Ted - whoever Ted is! - thinks that when you do it longer it can release too many heavy metals. And we know that I do like to shy away from anything that releases too many heavy metals!

So, if you try it for your gums, do let me know your results!