Dentist Hints That Cavities Can Be Transmitted By Kissing In Surprising Clip

Mason Joseph Zimmer
dentist smiling and looking off to the side in TikTok video
TikTok | @tasneemmahmoodd

It's common for people to be hesitant about visiting medical offices in general, but there's something about a dentist's office that particularly fills people with anxiety.

But since our teeth are an important part of our lives and interconnected to our overall health in surprising ways, even the most dentist-averse person will begrudgingly admit to how important their work is.

In recent years, however, a lot of dentists have made the profession seem more approachable and relatable by starting TikTok accounts.

And their presence on that platform has been invaluable because there are a lot more bad ideas that involve people's teeth than we might expect. For this reason, the dentists of TikTok are always quick to warn us about them and explain why they're so harmful.

But sometimes, it's the smallest and most off-hand remarks they make that blow our minds the hardest and that was definitely the case for one dentist who casually dropped an unexpected truth bomb.

Unlike many of her professional peers, Dr. Tasneem Mahmood of Houston, Texas doesn't just make TikTok videos about matters of dentistry.

dentist holding up model of teeth in her office
TikTok | @tasneemmahmoodd

If you were to take a quick look at her account, you would see that teeth facts do come up every once in a while, but that her posts are mostly about her life in general.

But as one video proved, those two topics can sometimes intersect.

Last year, she released a video of herself smiling alongside a caption that read, "Thinking about the kiss that I gave my husband even though he has cavities."

dentist smiling and looking off to the side in TikTok video
TikTok | @tasneemmahmoodd

For many, this brief clip marked the first time they realized that it was even possible for cavities to be contagious at all, let alone transmissible by kissing.

As one commenter put it, "New fear unlocked."

But while that was a fact Mahmood wanted to make people aware of, her intention wasn't to scare anyone.

dentist raises champagne flute to her lips in TikTok video
TikTok | @tasneemmahmoodd

As she told Insider, "Do I think that one should not kiss someone who has a cavity? No, not at all. Having cavities is not a moral failing or should it be used to judge how good a person or partner is."

And while she said that they're usually a result of a person's failure to brush and floss their teeth every day, it's possible for some genetic factors to cause cavities no matter how diligent someone is about their dental care.

She made it clear that's it's possible to get cavities through kissing thanks to the bacteria that can cause gum disease and worsen plaque build-ups, but the risk usually depends on one's own dental care.

In Mahmood's words, "The takeaway message from all of this is: practice good oral hygiene, and you'll have great control and be on the safe track. If you're already brushing and flossing regularly, you're doing a great job fighting those cavities."

h/t: Insider