Viral tiktok video from @cianmcbrien alleges that a dentist can tell if you've given head but is that true? If it is, how can a dentist tell?
Can your dentist tell if you've given head?
Your dentist can indeed tell if you've engaged in oral sex because they've been publishing studies and case reports about this bedroom activity since the early 1900s. One of the first reports was from a French journal in 1928, documenting an injury to the palate caused by fellatio.
Une affection Venerienne peu banale: Le purpura velo-palatin <a vacuo>
The rough translation from French is "an unusual venereal condition: purple patches on the palate with vacuum." This is simply evidence that dentists could tell if you've engaged in fallatio since as early as 1928.
In fact, there have been multiple studies and reports throughout the years documenting injuries to the palate due to oral sex.
Study from 1975 in the journal of Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral pathology. "Petechial hemorrhages of the soft palate secondary to fellatio"
Study from 1981 in the journal of Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral pathology. "Variations of palatal erythema secondary to fellatio"
Study from 2013 in the Dermatology Online Journal. "Fellatio-associated petechiae of the palate: report of purpuric palatal lesions developing after oral sex"
Study from 2018 in BMJ case report. "Fellatio-associated erythema of the soft palate: an incidental finding during a routine dental evaluation"
There are far too many studies, which prove that dentist have been keeping tabs on this intimate act for nearly a century now. This means that, this isn't a brand new discovery since its been known since the early 1900s. No reason why your dentist would injury a "mysterious" injury in the mouth! They will get curious and find the root cause.
How can a dentist tell if you've given head?
Your dentist doesn't actually know for sure whether you've given head or not, unless they receive direct verbal confirmation from you. Although they may have suspicions of you engaging in oral sex but that is through a process of elimination. This means that they suspect you have done it but it isn't confirmed. So, what makes them suspicious?
Signs and symptoms
The most common sign is bruising of the palate, usually towards the back of the throat. The palatal bruising is a condition known as palatal petechiae. The bruising may vary in size but it is often red or purple in color.
The bruising indicates that there has been some type of injury in the mouth. Although there are plenty of other differential diagnoses, which can cause palatal injuries as well.
Consuming hard foods such as tortilla chips, tacos, hard baguettes, and etc.
Nicotine stomatitis - also known as smoker's mouth. Injury due to cigarette heat burning the roof of the mouth.
Shingles. This is adult chicken pox and it usually causes a rash on the palate.
Canker sores
Oral cancer
These are just some conditions, which can cause an injurious like lesion on your palate. There are many more out there as well.
Through a process of elimination, your dentist can usually arrive at the conclusion that it was probably due to giving head. That is how your dentist can tell if you've had oral sex or not.
Catch 22
With that being said, there is a small caveat and that is we can only tell if certain criteria are met.
Fellatio must have been performed within 24 hours. The reason is because the bruising is self healing so if you wait a week to go in to see your dentist, it may have already been healed. It is most detectable if it is on the day of.
Oral sex must've been aggressive. For bruising to occur, there needs to be enough force or impact upon the back of the throat. Lighter intimate activities may not produce a bruise.
If you really don't want your dentist to know or if you're embarrassed, our recommendation would be to go easy or wait a week before scheduling your dental appointment.
Comments from other Dentists
If you prefer live sources, here are some dental professionals who've chimed in on this intimate topic.
Michigan Dentist and tiktoker @dentite, Huzefa Kapadia, states that "I get this question a lot. And yeah, we know. We know."
Dr Kapadia also has a follow up video to further explain how it happens.
Another dentist, Dr Brad Podray, who goes by @thyrants on tiktok also weighed in on the subject. Dr. Podray says, "Sometimes we can tell" but he also says, "It's usually bruising on the soft palate called petechiae. But unless the patient's really young or shows signs of abuse, we don't care."
Well there you have it, two real live dental professionals chiming in on the subject. The consensus seems to be yes, we can tell if you've done the deed.
What else can your dentist tell from looking in your mouth?
You may be surprised but your dentist knows a lot more things about you than you may even know just by looking in your mouth.
What can we tell?
If you've just brushed and flossed before the appointment.
How diligent you've been flossing for the past 6 months.
You're snoring at night time.
You're pregnant.
You're grinding your teeth.
You've an ear infection.
You've a vitamin deficiency.
You've a drinking problem.
You have an eating disorder.
Does your even dentist care?
As a matter of fact, we don't care what you've been doing.
The only reason that we ask about the bruising on the palate is because we want to make sure that you don't have cancer and whether or not we need to do something about it. If it is a disease, it would require intervention so we just want to make sure that the palatal petechiae is not going to kill you in 6 months.
Hopefully that clears up any questions you may have on this subject. Brought to you by your favorite long island city dentist.
