Get them involved in their treatment

show them their initial models and photos and how they have progressed

show them photos of finished cases similar to their cases so they can be enthusiastic about completing their treatment 

be a positive influence on your patient with attitude and encouragement 

I'm absolutely agree with your suggestions, but how actually you understand "get them involved in their treatment"? They are already involved because the appliances have been fixed.

Of course, I often encourage them to be patient and to see the positive effects on their esthetics. But sometimes, I become very angry, when I see a patient with dirty teeth. And the result from the next visits is they try to explain to me that they have no time to clean their teeth after school and bla, bla ,bla...

Hello Yulia,

you asked a really difficult question that cannot be answered in one sentence. I enclose a file with some hints which may help you in enhancing the compliance of your patients.

Best wishes

U. Kritzler

I agree with Eman: show them their original models; take an updated set of x-rays and perform a simple super-imposition - with comparison of your objective (an age appropriate copy from the Bolton series is really helpful). Ask them to compare themselves with their school picture from the year before. Involve the parents in OPEN discussion, full disclosure. Ask them if they've had a chance to discuss their progress with a grandparent - someone who loves them and doesn't see them all that often. And let them know that you are proud of their progress (IF YOU ARE).

If it is not going so well, all of the above can be used to demonstrate that as well. Perhaps you offering up the idea of discontinuation - or PERHAPS the alternative of extracting teeth - if they aren't going to get the teeth where you need them to be through cooperation.

But the primary thing is engage them in conversation and concern FROM THE BEGINNING and AT EVERY APPOINTMENT. Show them that you care about then.

Thank you indeed for your trully and intersting answers! I'm really interested about good examples of orthodontic leaflets and will try to do a similiar one for Bulgarian children! 

We no longer use leaflets. We put the material we want to disseminate on our webpage. This enables us to direct the "non-present parent" to the site; we can instantaneously encourage anybody to go there over the phone (a referring dentist, prospective new patient, or a colleague from ResearchGate); we can talk them through the information - over the phone; we can change the message as needed; and there's no waste of paper; . Finally, it is less expensive and far more contemporary.

Thank you for your answer, sir!

I've just discuss in my PhD, that the most contemporary way to spread info about orthodontic problems is the way to use the network. And prospective practices from all over the world do it from few years ago. So, you see we live in the same planet...:) But most of the thesis, I read it about orthodontics have a practical oriented result, just the leaflet is. For example -ADOLESCENT COMPLIANCE WITH ORAL HYGIENE INSTRUCTIONS DURING

FIXED ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT: A PILOT STUDY

By

Thikriat S. Al-Jewair.

What I'm asking about...