Helpful resources
2018 Functional Oral Health and Airway Summit Links
Once again, Dr. Darick Nordstrom and Dr. Angie Tenholder have interviews as part of the Functional Oral Health and Airway summit. Due to popular demand, their 2017 interviews are being shared as part of the 2018 Summit as well as a new interview with Dr. Angie announcing the exciting updates and advancements of the ALF Therapy community that have occurred since the 2017 interviews.
For registration information please visit
Ongoing Efforts in Education
If you are a healthcare provider looking for more information on how to join the ALF Therapy community in their efforts to create innovative and integrative opportunities for the future of healthcare, please visit us at our newest website the highlights our hands-on course modules to support a lifetime of learning
ALF InterFACE Provider Resources
To find out more about the resources available to our ALF Therapy provider community through our levels of membership, online learning modules and provider listing opportunities, please visit our provider site.
Why is the ALF so unique?
Utilizing principles of growth and development
The ALF appliance uses light forces to the teeth and gums delivered by 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.
The evolution of the family of ALF appliances has been continually refined throughout the years to their current elegant and effective designs developed by Dr. Darick Nordstrom.
As no two patients are the same - no two appliances are the same. ALF InterFACE 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.
Comfort, functional and cosmetic advantages
The ALF is barely visible to observers, easy to wear and more hygienic to maintain than most other dental and orthodontic appliances.
The ALF is one of very few dental appliances that provide adequate room for the tongue and is unique in its ability to encourge improved tongue function.
The tongue is nature's best orthodontist and retainer. Without the development of an ideal swallow. adequate nasal breathing and balanced cranial function, we often see crowded teeth as well as crooked faces, necks and bodies. Nature intended for the tongue to continually support the roof of the mouth. However, if a child does not develop a mature swallow as a result of challenges in growth and development, they often struggle with optimal facial and neurological development.
The ALF provides an environment of gentle, functionally balanced support to the delicately interlocked bones of the head by providing a "fake it until you make it" opportunity for tongue and breathing function by enhancing the patient's functional reflexive abilities. By providing an ideal opportunity for the patient to develop a fully functional swallow while creating more room in the mouth for the crowded tongue, the breath and swallow can better support the body's delicate neurological system and craniofacial development.
The use of the ALF is known for creating an environment of enhanced neurological function and a more balanced facial appearance by harnessing the power of one of nature's most powerful tools: the human tongue.