6 min read • By Dr. Kevin Baharvand, DMD, MS • Updated August 2026
The short answer
D Magazine named me a Best Dentist for 2026. The thing that makes this one worth mentioning is how it is decided: other dentists in the area nominate the names. It is a measure of reputation among colleagues, which is people who would actually know. It is still not an inspection of anyone work, and I would not present it as one.
Dr. Kevin Baharvand, co-founder of Tribute Family Dentistry, named to D Magazine’s Best Dentists list for 2026.
FRISCO, TEXAS, Tribute Family Dentistry is proud to announce that its co-founder, Dr. Kevin Baharvand DMD MS, has been named a D Magazine Best Dentist for 2026. The recognition places him among a peer-selected group of dental professionals across the Dallas-Fort Worth region, chosen through a confidential survey of thousands of licensed dentists.
The honor is one of the more meaningful in the field precisely because of who does the choosing. Unlike awards driven by advertising or online popularity, D Magazine’s Best Dentists list is built from nominations submitted by other dentists and then vetted by an anonymous panel of practitioners across specialties. In other words, this is recognition from the people who understand the work most directly: colleagues.
Being recognized by other dentists carries a particular kind of weight. These are people who know what goes into treating a patient well, and know when corners are being cut. I do not take that lightly. This belongs to the whole team at Tribute and Elate, and to the families across Frisco who trust us with their care. We show up for them every day, and this is a reflection of that work more than of any one person.
, Dr. Kevin Baharvand DMD MS, Co-Founder, Tribute Family Dentistry
How the D Magazine Best Dentists List Works
D Magazine has published its Best Dentists list for years, and the methodology is deliberately insulated from commercial influence. The magazine sends a confidential poll to more than 2,000 area dentists, asking each to recommend peers in specific specialties. Only licensed dentists may vote, and only licensed dentists in good standing can be named.
After votes are tallied, an anonymous panel of dentists reviews the results, and editors verify each honoree’s license and disciplinary standing before the list is finalized. Advertising is sold only after the list is set, and, by the magazine’s own account, advertising has no bearing on who makes it. That separation between recognition and revenue is what gives the honor its credibility.
What It Means for Frisco Families
For the families we serve along the FM 423 corridor, an award like this is less about a plaque on the wall and more about a signal. When you are choosing where to bring your kids, or deciding whether to finally address something you have been putting off, it helps to know the office you are considering is respected by the broader dental community, not just marketed well.
That said, we want to be candid about scope. Dr. Baharvand is a board-certified orthodontist, and his clinical focus is orthodontics rather than general dentistry. At Tribute Family Dentistry, day-to-day general and family care is delivered by our general dentistry team, while Dr. Baharvand’s orthodontic expertise anchors the practice and connects directly to our sister orthodontic practice next door. The recognition reflects the standard of care that runs through both.
About Dr. Kevin Baharvand DMD MS
Dr. Kevin Baharvand is a board-certified orthodontist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. He co-founded Tribute Family Dentistry in 2024 as a companion practice to Elate Orthodontics, which he opened in 2019. His work has appeared on the cover of the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, and he serves on the editorial board of Orthotown.
A national lecturer on clear aligners and practice management, Dr. Baharvand spoke at the 2026 Angel Aligner Ascend conference in New York. Across his affiliated practices, he has earned more than 1,000 five-star patient reviews, along with recognition from Living Magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards for 2026.
2026 Recognition
Living Magazine Best Family Dentist Frisco & Plano 2026
Benchmark BusinessRate Top 3 Dentist Frisco 2026
200+ Google Reviews
1,000+ Five-Star Reviews (Affiliated Practices)
Two Practices, One Standard of Care
Tribute Family Dentistry and its sister orthodontic practice, Elate Orthodontics, sit side by side in West Frisco. The arrangement means families can move seamlessly between general and family dentistry and specialized orthodontic care without starting over with a new team or crossing town. When a patient at Tribute needs braces or clear aligners, the referral pathway is a few steps away.
About Tribute Family Dentistry
Tribute Family Dentistry is a general and family dental practice founded in 2024 by Dr. Kevin Baharvand DMD MS and Dr. Julia Kang DMD. The practice serves patients of all ages with a focus on preventive care, children’s dentistry, complete adult dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and restorative care. The office is located at 5605 FM 423, Suite 600-B, Frisco, TX 75036, serving families across Frisco, The Colony, and Little Elm. For more information, visit dentistfriscotx.com or call (469) 598-1021.
Media inquiries: info@tributedentistry.com
Now Accepting New Family Patients
Experience the care that Frisco families and North Texas dentists recognize. Serving Frisco, The Colony, and Little Elm.
Common questions
How are D Magazine Best Dentists selected?
Through peer nomination. Other dentists in the area put forward names, which makes it a measure of professional reputation among colleagues rather than a public vote or a clinical audit.
Is that different from a readers choice award?
Yes. A readers choice award is a public vote and reflects patient experience and popularity. Peer nomination reflects what other dentists think. Neither one inspects the work itself.
What credential does involve evaluating clinical work?
Board certification. In orthodontics that is Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, which requires submitting completed treated cases to a panel of examiners after residency. It is voluntary, which is what makes it meaningful.
Does Dr. Baharvand see general dentistry patients?
He is an orthodontist and co-owns the practice. Routine and restorative care at Tribute is handled by Dr. Christina Pham, and oral surgery by Dr. David Roberts. Orthodontic treatment runs through Elate Orthodontics.
Judge us on the visit, not the plaque
Book an exam and cleaning. You will get shown what we are looking at on the screen, a written estimate before anything is scheduled, and an honest split between what is urgent and what can wait.
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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.
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. Open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
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.
