It’s Not Just for Dentists Anymore, Part I

January 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment

If you’ve ever had dental work done, it’s possible that your dentist used something called a dental dam, a square of latex used to isolate a tooth. There’s another use for it that you may or may not have heard of. This post might be considered a safer sex lesson, but there is a safer sensuality dimension, and I have to be frank.

Betssy, Does this Dental Dam Make Me Look Fat?, August 10, 2008 by Flickr, Creative Commons 3.0 BY-SA

Betssy, Does this Dental Dam Make Me Look Fat?, August 10, 2008 by Flickr, Creative Commons 3.0 BY-SA

And that requires bringing up a name recently in the news: Michael Douglas. Michael Douglas, who’s been treated for throat cancer, throat cancer caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV. I won’t go into HPV’s connection to cancer; you can read that here.  How you acquire HPV is direct contact with the virus, which is found on the genitals or mouth/tongue where it can move further back into the throat.

So, enough said about that. So you want to be safe, you need a barrier, right? And the right (correct) barrier. Just like with condoms, latex is your best barrier, if treated properly (no storing in heat, use the right lubricant). So many like the taste of their female partner, and if she’s been tested for HPV, the mouth/tongue against her vulva is safe to do. Some partners may be less turned on, or she carries HPV (which may eventually clear from the body; see your physician about retesting). And then there are those turned on by latex. In any of those cases, a dental damn works great. Use a little tasty and appropriate something on the mouth/tongue side and a water-based lubricant, if desired, on the side against the vulva/lips/clit. Hold in place with fingers. Partner’s tongue moves the fluid around–whether added or naturally produced–and if done right, there’s no reason that the pleasure should be any less than without the dam.

Okay, so if you’re a dentist, you’re in luck–you know where to get your supplies of dams. But what about the rest of us? Make your own. Check out this great little explanation on how to turn a regular unlubricated condom into a dental dam. This is a DIY project you can get behind.

And speaking of “behinds,” stay tuned for Part II in the next couple of weeks.

Filed Under: Condoms, Safer sensuality, Safer Sex Tagged With:

Celebrating the Female Anatomy

September 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

**A post for the more mature reader**

A recent article in the Huffington Post on the clitoris made me want to write this post to expand upon it a little more.  It’s about a recent art installation that addresses that most misunderstood of the female body, yet, in my mind, the most important. Sure, some women find intercourse pleasurable, and there are some who prefer stimulation of the “g spot” through intercourse, than stimulation of the clitoris. I trust that to be the case if a woman actually has experienced clitoral stimulation hopefully to orgasm.

Although less so than in the past, the problem has often been that women don’t really understand how the clitoris works, and how for most of us, it is the main (although not exclusive) pleasure center of the female body. When a woman tells me that she “thinks” she’s had an orgasm, we discuss clitoral knowledge and certainty: if you’ve really had an orgasm, there’s no doubt what’s happening. That intense feeling is unmistakable.

When I wrote “Song of the Balalaika,” I wrote of a main male character who derives pleasure from bringing his partner to orgasm as creatively as he can. Much of what he does with her is to attempt to “learn” what pleases her, how and where she likes to be touched, how and when to stimulate her clitoris.

This is the reason that I’m adamant about properly naming the female anatomy.  If we keep referring to the external genitalia as the ‘vagina’ instead of ‘vulva’ and ‘labia’ (external and internal), then we confuse the internal organ of the woman, and her main instrument for intercourse, with the place where that premiere organ of arousal and orgasm is nestled. My post on the confusion on Project Runway’s frequent incorrect use of ‘vagina’ is a case in point.

Filed Under: Safer sensuality, Safer Sex, Women's Sexuality

Learning a New Skill: Putting on the Condom

August 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Trojan-CondomsThose who can do. Those who can’t, watch someone else do it. Then if you watch carefully enough, you can actually do it  yourself.

Before I became a sexuality educator, I knew about condoms from using them with a partner. Confession: I always let the man take care of business thinking that putting on a condom required a special skill that only men possessed, given that they possessed the actual organ to be adorned. PluUntil I got into the business of safer sex education, I never knew the finer points of condom use. But in spite of my original hesitancy and confronted by the dawning realization that I would be demonstrating my proficiency in front of groups of strangers, I took on the challenge. (Plus my salary depended on it.)

 If I wanted to succeed, I knew I’d have to get it right my from an expert–my gay boss Kyle. I and a small group of young female college students were treated to the lesson while gathered around his desk, then each one of us had to demonstrate that we’d learned what he taught–on a condom model, to be clear. At first, I didn’t look forward to having an audience watching me awkwardly manage the little roll-down hat, but I pulled it off, or more correctly, put it on exactly the way it’s supposed to be done.

  • Open package; no teeth, as tempting as it is to use them to rip the package open.
  • Remove the condom from package
  • Grasp tip (and implement the tip tip)
  • Place on top
  • Unroll to the bottom; careful with fingernails
  • Enjoy

 To be honest, it took several tries, but in the end I finally got comfortable with it. And if you haven’t tried it, you can, too.

Check out this article on a study showing that condoms don’t diminish pleasure for men.

Filed Under: Condoms, Safer sensuality, Safer Sex Tagged With: , ,

Product Review 2: Lubricant, and “A Tip About the Tip”

August 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Tip-tipOne of the most basic products for safer sensuality is water-based lubricant. It reduces friction by providing moisture, and because it’s water-based, it does not damage latex. That’s latex condoms, latex dental dams, or latex gloves. Some condoms come with their own lube, and unlubed condoms are useful for performing oral sex on a guy.

Another option is silicone-based lubricants which are also useful and can retain their “slipperiness” longer than water-based lubricants but can also be more difficult to wash off the body and other materials or objects. No matter which you choose, definitely choose one. Research has shown that lubricants can enhance pleasure in relationships, whether or not you have to practice safer sex.
One of the most popular safer sex tips I give is just that: pay attention to the tip. Place a small amount of latex-friendly lubricant into the tip of the condom before placing it on the head of the penis. It returns that “natural” feeling to the condom experience, as many men have told me who tried it. And when a partner places the lubricant on the sensitive head of the penis before placing the condom (an alternative) or the condom on the penis with the lube inside, it’s a nice experience for both partners.

Filed Under: Condoms, erotic romance, Safer sensuality, Safer Sex, Women's Sexuality Tagged With: , , , , , ,