Many dental offices have a dress code or system for the assistants to wear matching scrubs. If this applies to you, you’ll have to make the required scrub uniform work for you.

With a basic sewing machine, there are a lot of slight adjustments you can make to your scrubs to make them more comfortable to wear around the office daily. If your scrubs fit your waist well, but drag on the floor, hem the bottoms. Not only will hemming the bottoms prevent you from tripping on your own pants, but it’ll look cleaner too. You can also hem the sleeves.

If your scrub top is too revealing or too baggy, wearing a clean shirt underneath can help maintain a professional look. Wearing a long-sleeved shirt helps in the winter time too in case parts of the clinic are colder than others.

Dental Assistants are on their feet literally all-day. Since you’re running non-stop between patients and rooms, comfortable shoes are a must. There are “dental assistant shoes” sold by various companies like Snibbs and Dansko, but usually any comfortable shoe will work as long as it abides by the office’s specific dress code. Make sure the soles do not mark the floors and that you’ll have great traction on slick medical flooring. It’s never fun to spill in front of a patient because you were a bit too quick on your feet.

Be ready to wear a mask at all times when seeing a patient. Make sure your hair is styled up to keep it free from getting in your way or touching your patient. If you usually wear glasses, either switch to contacts or be quick about putting your glasses on over your mask to avoid fog. If you do need to adjust your glasses, it’s best to adjust them without your gloves on, so consider this if you wear glasses regularly.

Dental assistants have an hour or so everyday to have lunch, but they need to have great attention, coordination, and energy throughout the morning and afternoon. Remember to eat a nutritious breakfast packed with protein every morning. You really don’t want to have an energy crash while assisting the dentist through a complex procedure or while cleaning a patient’s teeth. If you know you’ll struggle with energy between meals, pack smart snacks like nuts, dried fruit, protein bars and shakes, and other quick snacks to eat on your breaks.

Having great hygiene around the office entails regular hand sanitizer use, hand washing, and wearing gloves. After just a week of wearing gloves, using hand sanitizer, and washing hands throughout the day, many dental assistants develop dry skin. To prevent dry skin, use rejuvenating lotions, cremes, and stay hydrated.