Services / Orthodontic ALF Appliance
ALF (Alternative Lightwire Functionals)
Invented by Dr. Darick Nordstrom, DDS, ALF Appliance is a holistic method to align a patient's teeth and improve their bite without braces. It is a small flexible and springy wire that addresses alignment of the bones (orthopedic treatment) using principles of cranial osteopathy ("gentle manipulation"). In addition, it brings about changes in muscle function to achieve stable results (greatly reducing orthopedic relapse). The ALF Appliance has been shown to reverse the effects of poor facial development, facial damage caused by traumatic birth, TMJ pain, as well as pain and facial damage caused by aggressive orthodontics. It can also correct facial asymmetries, produce palatal expansion, and open the breathing airway.
Many patients diagnosed with Sleep Apnea can be treated with the ALF Appliance. The ALF will open space in the palatal area, creating more volume in the oral cavity and a better resting position for the tongue (so the tongue will not obstruct the airway). The ALF can in some cases cure Sleep Apnea, TMJ pain, and poor sinus and cranial draining.
Benefits
- Cosmetic - ALF Appliance is barely visible from the outside (aesthetically pleasing), a popular reason why many people choose Invisalign braces over conventional braces.
- Gentle - patients experience far less discomfort than with conventional braces, due to the "gentle manipulation" approach (cranial osteopathy).
- Stable - due to positive changes in muscle function, there is no need for life-long retention/retainers.
ALF Appliance
Fast Facts
- ALF Appliance is the holistic approach to orthodontics, factoring the whole body and directing everything toward complete harmony.
- The concept is simple: with light gentle forces, the skull bones will expand and growth is stimulated. With increased jaw space, there is now room to guide the crowed teeth into a corrected position.
- It must be adjusted at each visit to realign the skull bones, which cause the foundation of the skull to be leveled. This is important to reduce the amount that teeth would relapse into their old crooked position.
- Balancing the skull bones helps insure a more normal neurologic and spinal function throughout the patient's life.
- It is quite comfortable to wear and does not hamper speech.
- It is a universal treatment system that is custom designed to meet each patient and can be altered during the course of treatment to correct problems that specific patient is experiencing.
- It is powerful enough to make rapid corrections, yet unobtrusive to allow long-term function necessary for true bony changes.
- Treatment times are quite varied and can last as few as 3-6 months or as long as 1-3 years depending on the complexity of the case.
"Why should I choose an ALF Appliance over other options?"
- Other dental orthopedics and orthodontic programs focus primarily on aligning the teeth and jaw misalignments. However, cranial lesions and the cranial base must first be corrected in order to establish long term stability to the stomatognathic system (mouth, jaws, and closely associated structures), spine and pelvis. Otherwise, the probability of orthopedic relapse remains, among other concerns.
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