Dental Dams and Condoms: Oral Sex Safety

Oral sex is widely popular, but many people who engage in the act have no idea that STD's can still be passed during this form of sex. Yes, you read it right, if you perform oral sex on an infected person, you can contract an STD in your throat or mouth. Most STDs are asymptomatic, meaning they have no symptoms, so you can not tell if a person is "clean" just by looking at their genitals. The only way to know if your partner is STD free is to go and get tested with them, but if testing is not an option and you are about to perform in the spur of the moment, the best way to protect yourself during oral sex is by using protection.

There are two forms of protection for oral performance, one for each sex. The form of protection for women to use when performing on men is a latex condom.

The taste of latex is like chewing on a rubber glove (disgusting), so to make the oral sex experience using a condom more enjoyable for the giver , there have been versions of condoms created to taste like different flavors such as cherry, banana, watermelon. they are color coded according to flavor and also come in non lubricated versions. Flavored condoms can be found at your local drug store and also at your local clinic. Durex and Lifestyles are two popular brands known to produce the tasty latex protectors. Women who have a latex allergy or sensitivity are not advised to use latex condoms during oral sex. Swelling, itching or burning could occur and would definitely bring down the mood of the moment. Polyurethane versions are available for women with this issue, however, they do not come in flavored versions as of yet.

The version of protection suggested for use by men performing oral sex on women is a large latex sheet called a dental dam. Dental Dams are primarily used by dentists during cavity fill ins and other oral surgery procedures to isolate a particular area of the mouth and prevent debris from falling into the bottom of the mouth and onto the tongue.

Dental dams are made of of regular and natural latex and come in a variety of colors and also come in different flavors. Dental dams are placed over the entire vulva to create a barrier between the mouth and genitals.

The diagram below displays how the dental dam should be placed. These protectors are no widely available at your local drug store but can be ordered from ebay, amazon.com or undercovercondoms.com. for anywhere from $2-$7. If you don't have the time to have these ordered and shipped to you, simple plastic wrap can also be used as a form of protection, or a latex condom can be cut in half and stretched across the vulva. Plastic wrap is suggested to be used on latex sensitive women.

If you are unsure of your partner's STD status, PROTECT YOURSELF! Use one of these options when performing oral sex.

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