A dental clinic in Loyal Heights is offering a different kind treatment to orthodontic care that has found fewer patients under the knife and more patients using holistic care.

Aligne Orthodontics & Orthotropics (7715B 24th Ave. N.W.) opened in January of 2014 and since then they have been offering a new way for patients to think about crooked teeth and facial development.

Dr. Stepanka Volejnikova Chae practices orthodontics and orthotropics. Orthotropics is a philosophy of treatment focusing on harmonious facial development with a primary objective of preventing and correcting unfavorable growth pattern of the jaws.

More specifically, the usual pattern orthotropic care corrects is too much vertical and not enough horizontal growth of the jaws. Dr. Chae names several symptoms of facial disharmony, which include a narrower, longer and flatter face with a weaker chin, larger nose (particularly pronounced later, in adulthood) and gummy smile. Dental crowding is usually present. Also, a child or adult will have an open mouth at rest and during sleep, because they have trouble breathing through their nose.

According to Dr. Chae this pattern of facial growth is all too common as children develop and has implications for not only dental development but also their facial structures, breathing ability, posture, sleeping quality, learning abilities and behavioral development.

Dr. Chae’s first training was in stomatology, dental medicine. Born and raised in the former Czechoslovakia, she received a doctorate degree from Charles University School Of General Medicine in Prague, Czech Republic. She spent much of postdoctoral education at Boston University’s Goldman School Of Dental Medicine. She received a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Orthodontics, a Doctor of Science degree in the field of bone biology and a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree.

However it wasn’t until she began noticing dental and facial issues in her own daughter, Isabella, when she started looking for other options.

“When I looked at my child at age six, and realized where her dental and facial growth was heading, I knew orthodontics was not enough. I started looking into other treatment modalities and into preventive care in general,” said Dr. Chae. “But at that point, it was too late for ‘prevention’ for my daughter. Next best thing was an early intervention.”

Dr. Chae had several adult teeth removed when she was young. She believes that this has contributed to her current issues and does not want the same potential consequences for her daughter: spinal misalignment, jaw joint pain and headaches, difficulty breathing through her nose and sleep disturbances.

“I have always felt uncomfortable about pulling teeth, and if I had to recommend it to people on a regular basis I would have never opened my practice.”

That’s when she focuses her attention and education on “proper oral posture and function” which is a crucial part of orthotropics. Dr. Chae is the first certified provider of Biobloc OrthotropicTM treatment in Washington State. Although she treats patients from ages 5 to 85, the best age for orthotropic treatment is between 7-12 years. Patients outside of the “ideal” age range are still treated with orthotropic principals in mind. Dr. Chae also provides, but is not limited to, Crozat, ALF and Myobrace therapy.

Dr. Chae’s treatments are “face-first” rather than “teeth-first.” Phase I of her adjustments focuses on developing healthy facial formation of the jaw, widening of air pathways and prevention of jaw surgery later in life. Although, Phase I dramatically improves crowding of the teeth, Phase II, focuses on tooth alignment (braces or non-brace aligners), if desired by the patient.

With these treatments Dr. Chae also offers blood work analysis for food sensitivities that may contribute to inflammation, exacerbate unhealthy airway development and poor sleep quality. She also analyzes cranial and body alignment and designs treatments that make improvements in those areas as well. She smiles, “You cannot separate the teeth from the rest of the body, it is all connected.”

“One needs to be careful how they treat orthodontically. You need to work with the facial growth, which is ideally in a balanced downward, forward and outward direction.”


“We really try to modify the habits and everything else around the whole system.”

Dr. Chae said that her clinic in Loyal Heights has attracted patients from as far as Alaska, Oregon and California, seeking alternative dental treatment. Her clinic has a peaceful flow and every patient gets her full attention and personal care.

Dr. Chae shares her office with her husband Paul, who is a root canal specialist. They rebuilt an old medical space into one that is full of light, energy and art, all created by the two doctors.

“I am passionate, but the question is: Can I do enough? Can I help with enough changes for people to get better? The objective is to provide basis for optimal growth and development in children and to improve structural and functional issues in adults.”

For more information visit http://www.aligneforlife.com.