THE EDITOR'S CORNER

For a variety of reasons, we are often patient with uncooperative children. Sometimes it may be because we have the time. Treatment started early in the mixed dentition and final alignment must await the arrival of cuspids and bicuspids. Sometimes it is because we have seen patients who dragged their treatment along and all of a sudden showed results in a few months that they had not shown in many months before. Sometimes it is because we get so busy, we don't realize the passage of time until one day we check and discover this child has been coming for two years and shows three months of progress. Sometimes it is because we know that we can change the treatment plan and extract upper bicuspids in a situation with a Class II relationship and a satisfactory lower arch and acceptable anterior positions. Sometimes it may be because we don't have that many patients and can either spare the time or not spare the money. Sometimes you get so deep into payment of the fee that you are reluctant to terminate treatment. Sometimes it is a dentist's child.

In this charitable season it would be nice to counsel patience with miscreants, but I doubt that patience does them or your practice any good. Your reputation will not be made on patients who don't cooperate. If you can't motivate them to cooperate, you are better off identifying them as soon as possible, setting a deadline in a fair and firm manner and sticking to it by discharging the patient or by postponing treatment until maturity may produce a more cooperative patient or until you can use a treatment plan which requires little or no cooperation.