Dental dams are thin sheets of rubber or plastic that were originally designed for use by dentists, but are useful to reduce the risk of transmitting STDs during oral genital contact, oral/vaginal contact (cunnilingus) and oral/anal contact (also called analingus or rimming). Dental dams were probably used for sex long ago, but it was in the late 1980s and early 1990s that sex educators began promoting the use of dental dams as a way to prevent transmission of HIV and other STDs.

Why Use Dental Dams?

There are actually two good reasons to use dental dams, one of which has nothing to do with safety.
Dental dams create a barrier between you and your partner and, as such, reduce the risks of transmitting STDs including herpes, hepatitis A, genital warts and HIV. They also protect against bacterial or parasitic infections, particularly from analingus.

Beyond that, for many, they can open up sexual possibilities. For example, many people find oral/anal contact to be intensely pleasurable. Even so, many people aren’t comfortable performing analingus because of discomfort with that part of the body. Using dental dams can make the activity feel safer and cleaner, and when used properly it doesn’t actually impact how much pleasure the receiver gets.

How to Use Dental Dams

Using dental dams is pretty straightforward. They work because they act as a barrier between you and your partner’s genitals; “using” a dental dam really just means keeping it between you and your partner. Of course, keeping the dam in place while doing something else that’s rather distracting and highly pleasurable can take some practice.

Here are some tips on how to use dental dams and what to do if you don’t have dental dams handy.

Where to Buy Dental Dams

If you’re lucky you might be able to get free or very cheap dental dams at a sexual health clinic. That is if you have a sexual health clinic near you with the budget to supply dental dams (I said you’d have to be lucky). Otherwise, most of the better sex shops carry dental dams (buy direct) and/or you can order them online. Dental dams that you buy for sex are really great as they are bigger and thinner. But you can make your own dental dam simply by cutting open a condom and snipping off the tip. Get more tips on making your own dental dams (scroll to the bottom of the page).