Scrubs are meant to be comfortable enough that the dental assistant can move around as needed. That's why scrubs are made of either 100 percent cotton or a poly/cotton mix. The cotton serves another purpose, as it is better at absorbing sweat than any other fiber. This keeps the dental assistant as comfortable in the late afternoon as he is in the early morning hours. The scrubs are also made loose so they don't restrict any body movements.
A dental assistant can purchase one of two types of scrubs. There are the usual scrubs that must be washed after each wear; then there are disposable scrubs. Disposable scrubs are mostly used when surgery is being performed, because some blood may get on them. There are also two types of regular-wear scrubs: The first type is a cross-stitch uniform and the second is a front-button uniform. After the dental assistant picks out the type of scrubs she plans on wearing, she must then pick out the pattern. There are plain-colored scrubs, scrubs with teeth all over them, and scrubs that depict cartoon characters to catch the interest of the youngest patients.
Scrubs aren't usually sold in numbered sizes. This is because the waists are stretchy and not buttoned. Most scrubs come in small, medium, large and extra large. Many sites sell scrubs that are extra extra large, and even extra extra extra large. These larger garments, however, carry an additional fee.
Scrubs are also meant to distinguish dental assistants from office workers and patients. Scrubs say to the patient that the wearer works in the medical field. They also symbolize a sterile, clean environment which puts the patient at ease about catching germs. Scrubs are most recognized by children, which is why some dental assistants choose to wear cartoon characters on their scrubs. The young patients will look at the characters and forget about how nervous they are to see the dentist.
It is important to wash the scrubs in hot water and dry them in high heat. This is because the dental assistant is around patients' mouths all day long, most likely getting fluid on his uniform. This fluid may contain germs the dental assistant will need to kill. Those germs cannot be killed with a cold-water wash. The dental assistant may also want to add a cup of bleach to the washer when cleaning white scrubs. If the scrubs are multicolored, the dental assistant can buy some laundry detergent that contains color-safe bleach.