I spent the past 2 days in ALF (Advanced Lightwire Functional) appliance training with Dr. Mike Hoefs. Dentistry in America is continuously recognizing new heroes, who have bravely look at the way the teeth are connected to the rest of the body — Dr. Hoefs is one such hero of mine!
Wow! The science behind this technology is brilliant: with a super light force (less than 1 ounce of pressure), this flexible lightwire appliance functions to move teeth and bones as a unit – which is opposite of how traditional orthodontics occurs, wherein the teeth are moved within the bone.
In some cases, facial pain accompanied by a distorted bite may be caused by frictional forces in the bones of the head – setting up Cranial Strain patterns. Cranial Strains are difficult to override. Most Cranial Strain patterns are created and maintained by a person’s unique physiology and function or dysfunction. Traditional orthodontic appliance therapy attempting to use some teeth as leverage as other teeth are moved may end up making these underlying strains more severe. Advanced lightwire functional appliances on the other hand can serve to apply such a low pressure as to override the body’s innate response to go deeper into the strain.
