Someone asked:

Q. Are there DIY versions of dental dams? I know saran wrap doesn’t work because it has to be non-porous. What exactly does that mean? What can used as a DIY dental dam, if anything?

Actually, plastic wrap, such as Saran Wrap, might be a good alternative if a person doesn’t have a dental dam. Dental dams (which are just small, thin, square pieces of latex used to protect the throat during certain kinds of dental procedures) work by keeping partners’ body fluids out of each other’s bodies and by preventing skin-to-skin contact. They are placed on the vulva or the anus when the mouth, lips, or tongue are used to sexually arouse a partner.

As long as it doesn’t have any holes in it, a piece of plastic wrap should provide similar safer sex protection as a dental damn. It prevents the exchange of body fluids and limits skin-to-skin contact.  However, you might want to consider the Sheer Glyde dam, which has been approved by the FDA especially for safer sex. Like dental dams, Sheer Glyde dams are available online, in some drugstores, and at many Planned Parenthood health centers.

photo: RoadSidePictures