Nobody likes cavities, and common thought was that you get cavities after a lack of proper dental care.
However, one dentist warns that you can actually catch cavities from someone else, and they are actually contagious!
How exactly do you catch a cavity you may ask? By kissing someone who has one!
This is the warning from Tasneem Mahmood, DDS, who owns Progressive Dental in Houston, She claims that tooth decay is in fact transferable!
She posted the warning on TikTok in a video that says "Thinking about the kiss I gave my husband even though he has cavities," captioning the clip: "and that's on cavities being contagious."
These claims were backed by John Featherstone, a professor emeritus of the School of Dentistry at the University of California, who said that yes, tooth decay can be transmissible.
He told Scary Mommy, "Be careful if your partner has lots and lots of decay. They are going to transmit to you. So if your partner is loaded with active decay, do send them to a dentist and get it fixed." ''
Even though cavities are transferrable, Featherstone urges that you can combat it with eating a healthy diet, brushing, flossing, and regular trips to the dentist.
"Most of us have these decay-producing bacteria in our mouths," he says. "I do. And I don't have tooth decay. I haven't had it for decades."
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