The Lorals dental dam shows why it’s so hard to make good safe sex products
The case for dental dams is simple: Although many people consider oral sex to be a low risk activity, it can still transmit STIs. But dental dams have never been popular with the general public — and their low sales have hampered the very product innovation that might make them a sexier, more affordable, and generally more appealing safer sex product.
It’s not just a matter of whether dental dams are profitable. Inventing a new safer sex device is pricey. All safer sex devices are required to have FDA approval, a process that doesn’t come cheap. While traditional dental dams already have the okay, anyone looking to do a revamp — like, for instance, Lorals, a black latex panty billed as “lingerie...