Yes, Dentists Can Tell If You've Recently Given Head

Inevitable cavities, the shrill noise of drills, nasty fluoride, trying to answer questions while a bunch of tools are in your mouth…

For many of us, visiting the dentist is not an enjoyable event. Dentists can tell if you haven't brushed that morning or flossed twice a day since the last time you darkened their doors, et cetera, et cetera. You may not appreciate that the dentist is discerning so much from the state of your teeth.

What you might like even less is that your teeth can be even more revealing—and those revelations may make you feel vulnerable and self-conscious. And especially so, if you're in the same pickle as me and have them also as family friends.

According to this viral TikTok by @cianmcbrien, dentists are able to tell if you've given a blowjob.

Say what? Is that actually true?

In today's terrifying and uncomfortable news…

Yep, dentists can tell, but usually only for a short period of time afterward.

"Yes, we can tell, if they are more recent," said Huzefa Kapadia, DDS, a dentist with Kapadia Dental Care in Michigan. "It doesn't always show up, and we don't typically look at the palate for it. But in some cases, we do see it, and it will go away on its own—usually in a few weeks."

Registered dental hygienist and TikTok user @mandimaeee agreed.

"To say that I'd be able to tell if you did it, like, three years ago? No," she said in a TikTok video. "But, if you did it recently, and you were a little bit aggressive about it? When I do [an] oral cancer screening, I check everywhere in your mouth, looking for anything. So, yes."

If you want to keep your sex life private when you're next in the dentist's chair, don't panic.

First off, having your dentist know that you've given oral sex to someone with a penis isn't as long-lasting or as big of an issue as you may have thought. Phew!

How many lollipops?!

But that leads us to an inevitable question: How can they tell in the first place?

"Usually, you'll get bruising on the palate [the front part of the roof of your mouth]," Kapadia said. "Other than bruises, you may see small red spots on the back and front of the palate. However, these spots don't always come from a blowjob—you can also get them from strep throat, for example, as well."

'Think about it this way. Dentists see a lot of patients a day. They're busy and don't have time to worry themselves about your sexy-time activities.'

Kapadia explained the medical word for this "injury" and how it results from oral sex in a TikTok video. Just to help you along, since TikTok bans a lot of sexual content, Kapadia uses the word "lollipop" in place of "penis."

"If you like sucking on one or two lollipops, here or there, not a big deal. But let's say you like to suck on multiple, multiple, multiple, multiple lollipops all the time, you got a problem," he said. "It's going to cause palatal petechiae."

According to a 2018 study in BMJ Journals, only 17 out of 132 sex workers had oral lesions, such as palatal petechiae, related to oral sex. Others had no injuries at all.

Still see your dentist, though

Regardless of how revealing you think your next visit might be, seeing your dentist on a regular basis is a crucial to-do list item.

"Just keep showing up for your six-month appointment," Kapadia said. "And don't worry, we won't say anything unless we suspect abuse."

Think about it this way. Dentists see a lot of patients a day. They're busy and don't have time to worry themselves about your sexy-time activities. And if they do care, they'll likely forget the details when the next patient arrives. On top of that, they have their own lives to worry about.

But if we've made you nervous, remember this: Palatal petechiae goes away, even if it shows up in the first place. And having a fun sex life is a good thing, not something you ever need to hide.

It can be a secret between you and your partner…and your dentist.