5 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MS • Updated August 2026
The short answer
Elate Orthodontics in The Colony, our sister practice, was named 2025 Best Orthodontic Practice in Denton County by BusinessRate. We are pleased about it. The more practically useful thing for our patients is what having both practices under the same ownership actually changes: records move between the two without you carrying them, and when somebody needs general dentistry and orthodontics in a particular order, the two sides are actually talking to each other.
My wife and I own both practices, so there is an obvious limit to how objective I can be here. Take the congratulations with that in mind.
Elate Orthodontics in The Colony was named 2025 Best Orthodontic Practice in Denton County by BusinessRate, a platform that ranks service businesses across the country. Their stated criteria are things like verified credentials, consistency of service, and long term performance rather than a public vote.
I would apply the same standard to this that I would to any award, which is the standard I laid out when we went through what our various awards actually measure. A third party ranking is a signal, not an audit. What it reflects is that the practice has been doing the same thing consistently for a long time in the same place.
On this page
What a ranking like this does and does not tell you
It tells you a practice has been operating consistently, that its credentials check out, and that its record over time holds up against comparable practices in the county.
It does not tell you whether a specific treatment plan is right for your kid, whether the office runs on time, or what the finish quality looks like on a completed case. Nobody outside a practice can assess that from a spreadsheet.
The credential that does reflect an evaluation of clinical work is board certification. In orthodontics that means Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, which involves submitting completed treated cases to a panel of examiners who have no reason to be generous. We explained how that differs from every other set of letters in what the letters after a dentist name mean.
Why two practices instead of one
People ask why general dentistry and orthodontics are separate businesses rather than one office doing everything.
Because they are separate specialties with separate training, and because doing both well requires different equipment, different scheduling rhythms, and different clinical focus. An orthodontic practice runs on short frequent appointments over two years. A general practice runs on longer appointments spread across a lifetime. Trying to do both in one operatory schedule tends to compromise both.
What we did instead was own both and put them close together. Tribute handles cleanings, fillings, crowns, root canals, wisdom teeth, and emergencies. Elate handles braces and clear aligners for kids, teens, and adults.
What it changes for you in practice
Three things, and they are the reason the arrangement exists.
Records move without you being the courier. X-rays, scans, and treatment notes go between the two practices directly. If your orthodontist needs to see the panoramic image we took last year, they see it.
Sequencing gets handled properly. This one matters more than people expect. Orthodontic treatment should almost always come before new crowns and veneers, and an implant placed before orthodontic treatment permanently decides where that tooth lives, because implants do not move. When both sides are in the same conversation, that order gets planned rather than discovered. We went through the details in can you get braces with a crown.
And one family, one relationship. Kids get their cleanings here and their braces there, and neither office is meeting them cold.
An implant placed before orthodontic treatment is permanent. That is the kind of decision that gets made correctly when the two practices are actually talking.
Where they are
Elate Orthodontics has three offices: West Frisco, North Frisco, and The Colony, which is the original location and the one this recognition names.
We are at 5605 FM 423, Suite 600-B in Frisco, on the corridor between them.
If you need an orthodontic consultation, you can ask us at your next visit and we will get it arranged, or go directly through Elate Orthodontics.
Common questions
Are Tribute Family Dentistry and Elate Orthodontics the same practice?
They are separate practices with the same owners. Dr. Kevin Baharvand and Dr. Julia Kang own both. Tribute handles general and family dentistry, Elate handles orthodontics.
What was the award?
Elate Orthodontics in The Colony was named 2025 Best Orthodontic Practice in Denton County by BusinessRate, a platform that ranks service businesses on criteria including verified credentials and consistency over time.
Do I have to use both practices?
No. Plenty of our patients see an orthodontist elsewhere and plenty of Elate patients have a different general dentist. The advantage of using both is that records and treatment sequencing are handled between them automatically.
Where is Elate Orthodontics?
Three offices: West Frisco, North Frisco, and The Colony. The Colony is the original location.
Can my kid get braces and cleanings on the same day?
Not in the same building, since they are separate offices, but appointments can usually be scheduled to line up. Ask when you book.
Who should I see first if I need both dental work and braces?
Get both looked at before either starts. Orthodontics generally comes before new crowns and veneers, and implant timing in particular needs to be planned in advance.
Need general dentistry, orthodontics, or both?
Book with us for cleanings, fillings, crowns, wisdom teeth, and emergencies. If braces or aligners come up, we will get you in front of the right person and make sure the order makes sense.
You may also be interested in these
- Do you know who owns your orthodontist?
- Can you get braces with a crown?
- What our patients say, and how to read dental reviews
About Tribute Family Dentistry
200+ five-star Google reviews • Family owned and independent • D Magazine Best Dentist 2026 • Living Magazine Readers' Choice 2026 • Se habla espanol
Tribute is a family owned, independent practice on FM 423 in Frisco. I own it with my wife, Dr. Julia Kang, DMD, MS. We both trained at Boston University and we are both members of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon national honor society. I am a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. Day to day, most patients and their kids see Dr. Christina Pham, DMD, our general and family dentist, and oral surgery is handled by Dr. David Roberts, DDS, who has been doing it for more than 35 years. D Magazine named me a Best Dentist for 2026, and Living Magazine readers voted us Best Family Dentist in Frisco and Plano the same year.
We handle the whole family in one place: cleanings and preventive care, fillings, crowns, bridges, implants, root canals, extractions and wisdom teeth, whitening, night guards, and emergency visits. We are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, we speak Spanish, we work with most major insurance plans, and we run an in house savings plan for families without dental benefits.
If you need braces or clear aligners, that is the other side of what we do. Elate Orthodontics, our sister practice, treats kids, teens, and adults out of three offices in Frisco and The Colony.
Tribute Family Dentistry
5605 FM 423, Suite 600-B, Frisco, TX 75036
Book an appointment: (469) 598-1021
About the author: Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MS is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and a national speaker on clear aligner treatment. His clinical work was selected for the cover of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. He and his wife, Dr. Julia Kang, own Tribute Family Dentistry and Elate Orthodontics in Frisco, Texas.
