Why hope might be just what you need to get through to your teen patients

Do you remember how it felt to be a teenager?

On top of the world one minute, feeling completely lost the next.

During the whirlwind of adolescence, the risk of dental caries rises. Fuelled by independence-seeking behaviour, shifting diets, and less consistent hygiene routines. Yet these same years are also a crucial window to build lasting oral health habits.

So how can oral health professionals break through the eye-rolls, silences, and shrugged shoulders?

A 2024 qualitative study in Norway¹ proposes a new strategy to motivate teenagers in the dental clinic: hope.

How hope drives oral care

Psychologist C.R. Snyder, author of Handbook of Hope, describes hope as not just positive thinking, but also a powerful motivator.

It has two essential building blocks:

By this definition, hope is the combination of “I can see a way to do this” and “I believe I can actually do it.”

During the 2024 qualitative study, the researchers investigated the role of hope in dentistry by observing the interactions between oral health professionals during appointments with 12–15-year-olds. 

While their sample size was limited, their paper presents a strong theoretical framework to apply hope-facilitating strategies in dental settings. They build upon previous studies in healthcare, which show, for example, that increased feelings of hope positively impact treatment adherence for adolescent asthma patients.

The researchers identified three main strategies that have the potential to enhance hope in the young person’s overall oral health journey:

1. Bonding. Showing empathy, building continuity, and recognising the individual teen.
2. Positive communication. Softening feedback and avoiding blame.
3. Empowerment. Encouraging effort and involving teens as active partners in decisions.

Of these three strategies, the empowerment of shared decision-making stands out because it supports teens’ growing independence.

Why is this approach especially relevant for teenage patients?

Anyone who has worked with teenagers knows that trying to give direct advice is often met with refusal, rejection, or disinterest.

This is why a simple phrase like “You have to wear your retainer” can spark eye-rolls or silence.

Psychologist Zuzana Neupauer, who specialises in adolescent development, explains that when advice is framed as a directive, such as, “you must” or “you have to”, resistance often has less to do with the content of the advice, and more to do with the power dynamic behind it.

Put simply, they are not rejecting the advice. They are rejecting being told what to do.

This is where shared decision-making becomes so powerful. Instead of positioning the oral health professional as the authority handing down rules, it reframes the conversation as a collaboration. 

How shared decision-making builds hope in the chair

To understand how this strategy can also foster hope with teens, we return to C.R. Snyder’s building blocks of hope: seeing a way forward (a pathway) and believing you can get there (agency)

Take the phrase like:

“You have to use an interdental brush every day.”

It might be clinically correct, but to a teenager, it lands as a dead end. There is no clear pathway (how to make it work in their life) and no agency (they didn’t choose it). It sounds like another rule from another adult.

Now, contrast it with saying:

“There are a few different ways to keep this area clean. Can you tell me a bit about your brushing routine, so we can find out together approach works best for you?”

Or even simply asking:

“Do you have a system for cleaning the areas between your teeth?”

In that one small shift, the tone changes completely. Suddenly, there are pathways: you open a conversation about real options they can picture themselves doing. And they feel a sense of agency: this is their choice, not just an order.

That is what hope looks like in action:

“I can do this… and I know how.”

With a sense of agency, they begin to see themselves not as reluctant patients being “managed,” but as capable people making progress on their own terms.

From treatment to partnership

Ultimately, the 2024 study encourages oral health professionals to look beyond immediate treatment needs and consider the adolescent’s overall well-being. 

When you involve teenage patients as partners in decisions about their oral care, you don’t just reduce resistance—you spark hope. And hope, more than rules or reminders, drives sustained motivation.