ALF Appliance Therapy

ALF (Advanced Lightwire Functional) is therapy that aims to improve the overall health, beauty and function for the patient while providing a gentle, simple, effective, and easy to wear family of dental appliances.
Researched and developed by Dr. Darick Nordstrom, the ALF appliance delivers light forces to the teeth and gums with an exceptionally advanced design. The ALF design is based on replicating the forces to the jaws and head that nature intended. This has been verified through years of feedback from osteopathic and chiropractic physicians who specialize in treating the highly sensitive system involving the subtle forces and influences involving the cranium and the neurological system that it surrounds. ALF is a whole-body-and-mind approach aimed to improve overall health and performance in every realm.
The evolution of the family of ALF appliances has been continually refined throughout the years to their current elegant and effective designs. Cosmetically, the appliance is relatively “invisible” as it gently wraps around the back of the teeth and is not visible from the outside.
As no two patients are the same - no two appliances are the same. ALF Therapy providers are trained to select and modify the ALF dental appliances to the individual needs of their patients to take advantage of their strengths and help them overcome their weaknesses.

Because ALF promotes proper growth and development, once a child can cooperate with therapy, treatment can begin. Research has helped to identify many red flags in young children that pertain to a lack of proper growth and development. These early warning signs allow us to intervene as early as possible to help correct any discrepancies and get the child back on track to their ideal development. The earlier you intercept a problem with growth and development, the simpler and more comfortable the treatment can be.
Warning signs may include: difficulty nursing, chronic congestion, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, recurrent ear infections, mouth breathing, asthma, forward head posture, crossbites, underbites, deep bites, crowded baby teeth and speech issues.
Older patients can sometimes also benefit from ALF treatment! Because the appliance can affect overall health, patients at nearly every age can enjoy noticeable and effective results. The ALF has been shown to reduce effects of poor facial development, correcting facial asymmetries, and producing palatal expansion and opening airways. ALF is for anyone who wants to improve tooth alignment for function, patients with swallowing dysfunction, sleep apnea or sleep disorders, speech impediments, airway constriction/breathing problems, cranial bone realignment, TMJ disorders, poor posture and spinal alignment, or improper positioning of dental arches resulting in crossbite.

Before you build a house, you need to make sure that you have a stable, solid foundation. Before you address straightening teeth and improving the smile your body needs to be well aligned. ALF focuses on improving this foundation by addressing the causes of crooked teeth. There are genetic, early developmental, and functional determinants of mandibular size which then have significant downstream effects such as maxillary development, airway development and cranial growth.
Teeth are an indication of what the muscles of the face have or have not been doing correctly. Crooked teeth, high palates, tongue thrusting, poor posture, retained primary reflexes, and open mouth breathing are all symptoms of compensation from an inadequate foundation. Causes of these compensations vary but may be related to Low tongue posture and non-functional swallowing, Restricted airway and mouth breathing, Cranial strains, stresses and tensions in the head and neck area possibly stemming from traumatic births or accidents, Genetic factors, or Poor diet (highly processed foods that lack nutrients and enzymes).

ALF works alongside two pillars of care creating a “Trifecta” to give the body the ability to grow into its best possible version.

• Myofunctional Therapy is physical therapy to train the tongue, lips, and mouth to move efficiently and correctly. Sometimes this also includes breathing therapy such as Buteyko.
• Bodywork/Cranial Osteopathy is the calming therapy for the entire body to be in harmony with itself to grow in a symmetrical manner.

The commitment to ALF therapy indicates a willingness to participate fully with both time and finances. There is not a “typical treatment” for a child who needs interceptive care for growth or airway developmental support. There will be periods of “active” support with required office visits at 4-6 week intervals and periods of what we refer to as “maintenance” with less frequent visits.
Due to the delicate nature of the ALF appliance and variability of patient compliance and individual response to therapy, there is no guarantee for therapy outcomes. We commit to doing our very best to identify and prevent potential problems, but they do occur.
The total costs of therapy are based on the needs of the patient and varies widely between patients.

Even though properly performed ALF Therapy can create beautiful smiles and faces by utilizing the oral environment (including the teeth), it must be understood that this technique is very different from orthodontic approaches.
Patients seeking a treatment approach that is limited to the movement of teeth often seek advice from a dentist who has taken very specialized training in tooth alignment referred to as an orthodontist. Orthodontists undertake a 2 year post-doctoral program that instructs on an approach limited to tooth alignment using braces, clear aligners, surgical interventions and rigid, fixed palatal expanders. Their focus is achieving straight teeth.
Their instruction does not include instruction on the use of the ALF family of appliances as this instruction is only available through private instruction in the multifactorial aspect of care offered through ALF Therapy.
Patients seeking a treatment approach to prevent or treat functional issues such as:

• Sleep and airway concerns
• Headaches and craniofacial pain
• Speech and swallowing concerns
• Relapse or unwanted tooth movement because of unresolved oral neuro-myofunctional deficits ...may want to consider ALF Therapy as another option to the more tooth-focused therapy provided by other forms of orthodontics.

• { ALF is NOT about straight teeth – ALF IS about function }

Dr. Jordan has been passionate about caring for families affected by tongue and lip ties during the breastfeeding years since her own child was diagnosed with a tongue-tie in 2014. Taking every chance to learn as much as possible about the effects of tongue-ties led her to the science of Myofunctional Therapy. This is where she first learned of all the ways tongue-tie and other early indicators can affect development and growth way beyond the breastfeeding years. Problems include sleep disordered breathing and airway issues. The ALF appliance addresses many of these problems in young children. Having had her own child develop OSA, enlarged tonsils/adenoids, mouth breathing and airway issues, she knew she could help by implementing the use of the ALF appliance in her practice.
Dr. Jordan is committed to continuously improving herself and the care she offers her patients by attending numerous continuing education seminars and ongoing collaboration with other ALF providers throughout the U.S. She makes every attempt to stay abreast of all of the newest techniques in general dentistry, airway health, orthotropic, TMJ, laser therapies and ALF in an effort to provide the best possible care to her patients.

Dr. Darick Nordstrom, developer of the ALF https://youtu.be/UoA_Rmtg1fg

Dr. James Bronson www.bronsonfamilydentistry.com

Cranial Osteopathy Cranialacademy.org/patients/FAQ

ALF Therapy Alftherapy.com

Primitive Reflexes https://www.solvelearningdisabilities.com/

Cold Laser Therapy https://oralase.com/

Dr. Tasha Turzo https://www.drtashaturzo.com/osteopathy