Oral sex is a very common practice for both teens and adults. Very common.
What you prefer to do, or not do, with your partner(s) is completely your business, until it isn’t. Don’t allow yourself to be endangered by having unsafe sex. STDs and STIs are spread through oral sex just as they are through intercourse. A naked mouth on your genitals of course may feel better but it isn’t worth the cost. Here are some safe sex tips for after (or before?) the date.
1. Condoms
So this is the easiest and makes the most sense. Hopefully you’re wearing a condom anyway should you be having sex with someone you’re not sure about their sexual health or history. Condoms are barriers that are rolled onto the guy. (They’re usually latex, but if you’re allergic there are non-latex options that you should research.)The barrier prevents pregnancyand spreading STD/STIs, unless it breaks. If you want the man to wear a condom before you have sex, you also want him to wear a condom for anything else. Diseases and infections don’t skip mouths. If it’s warm and wet, it can live there!
2. Dental Dams
This is the most annoying simply because having plastic between wet tongue and the goods seems ineffective, but it’s pretty important to know about. You can buy Dental Dams as a product, or make one out of saran wrap. Either way, the point is so your face/mouth doesn’t touch the potentially infected area. If licking some variant of plastic doesn’t sound too appealing, latex gloves are pretty easy to find. And honestly, your partner might like that idea a bit more. Don’t laugh off the gloves. If you have cuts on your hand, you gotta be careful of that herpetic whitlow aka “finger herpes.” Luckily that’s pretty rare.
3. Get Tested & Talk to Your Partner
The absolute best thing you can do is to simply talk to your partner. Talk to them if you’re dating and trying to surpass the hand holding stage; talk to them if you’re both against the bar bathroom stall door. Just a simple, “Are you clean? When were you last tested?” is all that needs to happen. If either of those is a, “No,” “I don’t know,” or “I can’t remember,” then seriously think twice about oral sex or be sure to use protection. No matter what.
Are you not sure about yourself? Walk to the USM clinic and get a quick test. It’s worth knowing. Get educated, have fun, but most importantly: BE SAFE!