Meet the Mompreneur Behind it All
Dr. Sima Yakoby Epstein’s interest in orthodontics and passion for patient well-being was born at an early age. As a young girl, her face, teeth, and jaw were broken in a car accident. She went through years of treatment and uses her experience to better inform modern orthodontic care. Today, Dr. Yakoby Epstein is committed to engaging top orthodontic innovators and scientific developers as she transforms the orthodontic industry.
Necessity is the mother of invention. COVID put many into McGuyver mode - solving household issues with creative thinking and resourcefulness.
A professionally trained orthodontist, Dr. Yakoby Epstein found herself at home with two elementary aged kids fielding calls from friends and neighbors begging for help with their kids' braces. Broken wires, loose brackets and such hardware issues were "unsolvable" and not a tool in the house would help with their child's discomfort. Dr. Yakoby Epstein lent a hand with her professional tools as much as possible in this challenging time and like many, it got her thinking. How could these frequently ill-timed braces discomforts be better managed when they happen? As a practicing orthodontist, she also knew that these events were not time efficient or good business, as unexpected emergency visits have unavoidable costs.
On average an orthodontic practice will have 8-10 emergency visits a day averaging a $100 per visit to the practice and broken brackets and cutting distal ends account for 99% of braces emergencies. For aligners, rough edges and removal of overly retentive trays account for 92% of aligner emergencies. In total, these breakthrough visits can cost an office over $300,000 a year, while causing great discomfort and anxiety among patients and caregivers. And these costs don’t account for missed meetings, school and other activities due to the emergency visits.
It was during this time that Dr. Yakoby Epstein felt most motivated to do something impactful for patients and parents who were feeling vulnerable and stressed about inevitable and common orthodontic emergencies. She thought they needed an instrument that would make solving these pain points easy. She started drawing this tool and OrthoNu Tweakz® was born.
Tweakz® for Braces and Tweakz® for Aligners are designed as a self-care solution to address the most common orthodontic emergencies in between visits. By addressing manageable discomforts at home until the next scheduled appointment, Tweakz® keeps disruptions to a minimum for the practice and patients, creating office efficiencies and growth opportunities, while supporting patient comfort and confidence in their care.
“Opportunity is truly born when you identify an unmet need, and you have a passion to meet that need. I founded OrthoNu and created Tweakz® because of my passion to do something impactful for patients and parents who were feeling vulnerable and stressed about inevitable and common orthodontic emergencies such as broken wires and loose brackets. It is very gratifying to know that we are being recognized for making a difference,” said Dr. Yakoby Epstein.
Designed by an Orthodontist, OrthoNu’s patented Tweakz 4-in-1 self-care tools are patient-friendly, professional grade, driven by science, researched based and are developed from professional tools that are trusted. With an advisory board of industry leaders and partnerships with the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine and the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD), OrthoNu is committed to advancing the science of oral health, which has a significant role in improving overall health.
Tweakz for Braces feature:
- Flush Distal End Cutter: Eliminates sharp wires by cutting and holding the cut wire piece for safety
- Dislodged Bracket & Elastic Remover: Removes broken or dislodged brackets with ease (self-ligating or conventional) and food interproximally between teeth and appliances
- Rubber Band Applicator: Removes and replaces rubber bands with ease
- Diamond Dental File: Smooths out rough spots on brackets and hooks
Tweakz for Aligners feature:
- Dental Pick: Removes food and debris interproximally
- Rubber Band Applicator: Removes and replaces rubber bands with ease
- Aligner Remover: Removes retentive aligners
- Diamond Dental File: Smooths out rough spots on aligners
Tweakz tools come in a travel case with mirror and are available to order at www.OrthoNu.com.
For more information about OrthoNu including to see What’s #NU4U, please visit www.OrthoNu.com.
The OrthoNu line of Tweakz® are offering a new way for orthodontists and dentists to support their patients. Through a complete set of patient education materials the OrthoNu Tweakz® products are designed to improve patient experience and comfort.
