What should you wear ?

Medical professions often require their workers to wear uniforms or other special types of clothing due to the nature of the work. Dentists are one such profession and often wear such things as scrubs and lab coats. They may also choose to have a more standard professional appearance.

Scrubs

Standard scrubs are the typical attire for dentists. Scrubs consist of a pair of pants and a top. Tops may be either short or long sleeve depending on the individual's preference. Pants are always long. Scrubs come in a variety of colors and patterns. White and various shades of blue seem to be the most commonly worn, but these are by no means the only colors worn by dentists. Patterns range from cartoon and movie characters to seasonal prints. Women also have more choices when it comes to styles. They can choose from stereotypical scrub tops or ones that look more like everyday fashion tops made from scrub material.

Lab Coats

Dentists often wear lab coats over their scrubs. Lab coats are white and will have either a breast pocket, a pocket at each hip or both. They can be plain or have the dentist's name embroidered on it. Some women's lab coats also have decorative embroidery in the form of flowers or swirly designs. Any of these can be worn, depending on the dentist's preference.

Professional Clothing

Some dentists do not wear scrubs and instead opt for what is more generally considered to be professional clothing. In this case, collared shirts or sweaters worn with dress pants or a skirt for women would be typical attire. Dentists are likely to wear their lab coat over their regular clothes.

Shoes

Dentists may wear shoes specifically designed for medical professionals. Though they are listed as "nursing shoes" on medical-clothing websites, they can be worn by medical professionals other than nurses as part of their work uniform. Nursing shoes are often made of rubber or leather and resemble clogs. In most cases, these are black or white, but women's styles may be offered in a variety of colors and patterns. Female dentists may also choose to wear Mary-Jane style nursing shoes. Plain black or white athletic shoes are worn as well. If the dentists are wearing regular professional -style clothing instead of scrubs, they may wear nursing shoes, loafers or any regular style of shoe that is designed to be comfortable. Shoes such as flip flops, sandals and high heels are not likely to be worn for safety reasons.

Source: Leena Tanner, e-how.com