Aerosols, especially those created during dental procedures, have recently taken front and center stage in the news, driven by fears of transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. However, COVID‐19 is just the latest episode of a century‐long assault of the human race by zoonotic respiratory viruses, and a much longer assault by several respiratory bacterial pathogens; tuberculosis, and bacterial pneumonia, to name but a few. The proximity of the nasopharynx and lower respiratory tract to the oral cavity creates an open communication channel for movement of viruses and bacteria from these areas into the mouth. In this scenario, aerosol generating dental procedures on patients with infectious respiratory diseases become sources of contagion. In an immunocompetent individual, the risk of spread of infection by aerosolized particles is largely driven by the kinetics of the aerosol, presence of pathogen in the aerosol source, the type of pathogen, frequency of exposure, and the infectious dose.