Safe Sex

Take Control of Your Sexual Health and Pleasure with Wearable Dental Dams

February 7, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller

**Note: This post is sponsored by Luxurity, Luxurious Security for Sexual Pleasure.
Oral sex is one of the most common sexual activities in the United States today. In fact, a majority of American adults under age 50 say they have both given and received oral sex in the past year.

Despite how common oral sex is and the fact that several STIs can be transmitted through it—including gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and HPV—few people take safety precautions when they engage in this activity. This is concerning, especially as we have learned more about how oral HPV infections can potentially lead to throat cancer.

So what steps can you take to protect yourself? For starters, there’s the HPV vaccine, which is a fantastic, but underutilized tool. However, even if you’ve received it, this vaccine only protects against one STI. A barrier method is therefore also necessary for more comprehensive protection, and this is only going to become even more important as the threat of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea rises, and as we see rates of STIs increase more broadly.

For mouth-penis contact, condoms are the obvious solution. But what about oral contact with a vulva or anus? In this case, dental dams have traditionally been the most-recommended tool.

In case you aren’t familiar, dental dams are thin latex sheets that are used to create a temporary barrier between the mouth and genitals. However, they are not often used, in part, because unlike a condom, two hands are really necessary to hold a dam in place, which can make them a little cumbersome and not very sexy to use. This is likely part of the reason why one study of women who have sex with women found that just 1 in 10 had ever used a dental dam before, while only 1 in 50 said they use dams often.

 

Enter the wearable dental dam by Luxurity. This product has basically turned the dental dam into a pair of underwear—think of these as safe-sex panties.

With a wearable dental dam, the partner performing oral sex no longer has to worry about holding a latex sheet in place. Their hands can therefore go wherever they want, thereby creating more opportunities for sensual exploration and mutual pleasure.

But that’s not all—Luxurity panties also offer a unique safer-sex tool that any woman can use to take control of her sexual health. Even better, they are designed to serve women of all orientations.

Note that this panty, like a condom, is a single-use device and is not meant for penetrative sex—it’s just for cunnilingus and anilingus.

Luxurity panties currently come in three flavors: strawberry, vanilla, and mint. So, in many ways, they’re kind of like flavored condoms, which can add an extra element of novelty to oral sex.

To further enhance pleasure during use, consider experimenting with a little lubricant. For example, placing a few drops of lube on the genitals before putting the panties on can add even more sensuality to the experience.

Wondering how to introduce these panties to a partner for the first time? Many people may be unfamiliar with the concept of a dental dam, let alone one that is wearable, so consider framing it this way: “These panties are for both of us, so that we can fully enjoy our oral experience without worry.”

To learn more about Luxurity and get your hands on some of their safer-sex panties, visit their website here.

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Image Source: iStockphoto

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Written by
Dr. Justin Lehmiller
Founder & Owner of Sex and Psychology

Dr. Justin Lehmiller is a social psychologist and Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute. He runs the Sex and Psychology blog and podcast and is author of the popular book Tell Me What You Want. Dr. Lehmiller is an award-winning educator, and a prolific researcher who has published more than 50 academic works.

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