Woo hoo! Now this is a post that I can get behind.  

I myself am such a stickler about dental hygiene, but the Bird Lover (did you get your suet feeders out?) is spot on.  I see it on some websites: "Please be sure to brush your teeth at my incall." NO! No! NO! Danger, Will Robinson, danger!

I usually bring up this topic with people I am meeting for the first time, especially those who are so considerate (they want me to know that they read my website, and I love them for that), but what they need to know is that brushing and flossing can, as the Bird Lover pointed out, create tiny abrasive wounds through which those pesky, nasty little microbes can gain easier entrance to your blood stream. And heaven knows, none of us wants to make it easier for those microbes.

I disagree about the types of mouthwash mentioned by the Bird Lover, though. (If you meet us outside, about 3 am, after the bar closes, he and I will fight this out ; )     From what I have been able to ascertain through my Google travels, Listerine and the like are NOT good for your oral health. They have alcohol in them, which interferes with the natural ability of the mouth (oral cavity, lol) to do what it does so well--fight invasions of nasty bacteria and worse, with its own natural enzymes. It is these enzymes, so efficient at protecting us even from the food we eat (yes, your food is nasty and loaded with lots of not-good things too) that make it so difficult, if not impossible, for the HIV virus to thrive in that environment. For that reason, and for all the other things "out there" that can infect you, you want to do everything you can to help your oral balance remain stable. That means protecting and encouraging those enzymes. Listerine might give you a temporary and immediate rush of "minty clean," but it's also destroying your balance. Try one of the mouthwashes made for "dry mouth" instead. They are available now OTC and in such good flavors. Banish Listerine!  

BUT! There is more "out there" waiting to get anyone who lets their guard down. HIV is not our only nasty microbe, so it will do you well to learn all you can about everything that might invade your precious bod (see my website for why I care so much my own precious bod ; ), and then make an informed and intelligent decision about what you are willing to do or not do. Always keep this in mind: there is NO such thing as safe sex, unless you include masturbation in your description of what constitutes sex. There are ways to mitigate your risks, but that does not mean anything is 100% safe. Nothing that involves the presence of another person and his or her body is 100% safe--ever. There is no room to let your guard down, but there are things to learn and ways to lessen your overall risk. It is making informed choices and being 100% consistent with them that will do you well. Every time, no matter how tempting someone is, every single time, no exceptions. Lather, rinse, repeat.  

Brushing your teeth and flossing are always good--unless it's within a few hours of partaking in one of life's other really good things, non-monogamous sex. Put down your toothbrush (and get an electric one, for heaven's sake), put down your floss, pick up your oral enzyme mouth rinse, your gum, your mints and your water, and help your oral cavity to do what it does so well, protecting you with its enzymes. (And did you know that chewing sugar-free gum is very good for your teeth?  Pick up some Trident today; three out of four informed Providers recommend it ; )  

And get tested! Get tested a few times a year! Talk about it! Encourage it! Make it part of normal, every day conversation! Getting tested is cool!  

And yes, fill up your bird feeders. Do it .. for the birds. Do everything else for yourself and the rest of the population. (Get tested!) (Let's all say it again: Get tested!)