Who Owns Your Orthodontist? A New Directory Helps Frisco Families Find Out Before They Commit

Why Choosing an Orthodontist Is Harder Than It Looks

Search “orthodontist in Frisco” and you will get dozens of names, star ratings, and ads. What you will not get is the information that actually predicts your experience: who owns the practice, and whether the doctor has gone beyond the minimum to earn board certification. Those details are hidden, and for a treatment that can last 18 to 30 months and cost several thousand dollars, that is a real gap.

A new directory, theorthodontistnearme.com, was built to close it. It is the first orthodontic directory organized around ownership transparency and board certification rather than ad spend. As a Frisco practice, we think every family in The Colony, West Frisco, North Frisco, Prosper, and Little Elm should know it exists before they pick a provider.

The First Thing It Shows: Who Owns the Practice

This is the question almost no one thinks to ask, and it matters more than most people realize. The directory labels every listing by who actually owns it.

Neither model is automatically wrong. But as the directory points out, many corporate-owned practices keep a familiar doctor’s name on the sign long after the business has been sold to a larger group. The website can look like a neighborhood practice when ownership has actually changed hands. You deserve to know which one you are walking into before you commit.

Where Elate stands: Elate Orthodontics is privately owned and doctor-led. We were founded in 2019 by Dr. Kevin Baharvand DMD MS and Dr. Julia Kang DMD MS, a husband-and-wife team who own and run the practice across all three locations. The doctors who greet you at your consultation are the owners who will see your treatment through to the final retainer. There is no corporate office setting our prices or rotating our doctors.

The Second Thing It Shows: Board Certification

Here is a distinction most families never hear: all orthodontists are licensed, but not all are board-certified. Certification by the American Board of Orthodontics is voluntary and goes well beyond the standard residency. It requires a written examination, a clinical examination of real treated cases, and renewal every ten years. Only about one in three orthodontists in the United States holds it.

Most directories, including the American Association of Orthodontists’ own member directory, do not display whether a doctor is board-certified. Theorthodontistnearme.com surfaces it on every listing, because it signals a sustained commitment to the specialty rather than a one-time license.

Where Elate stands: Dr. Kevin Baharvand is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, the credential the directory highlights. He is also a cover clinician for the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics and serves on the Orthotown editorial board. Dr. Julia Kang trained at Seoul National University and Boston University and completed a Harvard externship. When the directory filters for board-certified, owner-led care in Frisco, Elate is the kind of listing it is designed to put in front of you.

Why This Matters Specifically for Frisco Families

Frisco and the surrounding communities have grown fast, and so has the number of orthodontic offices competing for your attention. Plenty of them are excellent. But the sheer volume makes it harder, not easier, to tell a long-term owner-doctor from a rotating-associate corporate location, or a board-certified specialist from a general practice offering aligners on the side. A directory that puts ownership and certification on equal footing for every listing, paid or free, gives Frisco parents a faster way to compare what actually matters.

How to Use It

Visit theorthodontistnearme.com, search your area, and use the filters that fit your family, including board certification, Medicaid acceptance, weekend hours, and multiple locations. Read the ownership label on each listing. Then, as the directory itself recommends, verify the details directly with the practice before you schedule, since some information is self-reported and can change.

We encourage every Frisco family to do exactly that with Elate. Check our ownership status, confirm Dr. Baharvand’s board certification, and compare us against anyone in the area. We are confident in what you will find.

See the difference owner-led, board-certified care makes.
Schedule a free consultation at Elate Orthodontics in West Frisco, North Frisco, or The Colony. Call 972.538.4343 or book your complimentary consultation today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is theorthodontistnearme.com?
It is an orthodontic directory built around ownership transparency and board certification. Unlike most review sites, it labels every listing by who actually owns the practice and shows whether the doctor is certified by the American Board of Orthodontics.

Why does it matter who owns my orthodontist?
In a privately owned practice, the doctor who treats you also runs it, which means consistent care and an owner who tends to stay long-term. In a corporate-owned practice, doctors are often employees who may move on within a few years, so the doctor who starts your treatment may not finish it.

Is Elate Orthodontics privately owned?
Yes. Elate is owned and run by its co-founders, Dr. Kevin Baharvand DMD MS and Dr. Julia Kang DMD MS, across all three locations. It is not owned by a dental service organization.

Is Elate’s orthodontist board-certified?
Yes. Dr. Kevin Baharvand is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, the voluntary credential that requires written and clinical examinations and renewal every ten years.

How do I verify all of this myself?
Look Elate up on theorthodontistnearme.com, then confirm the details directly with our office. We welcome it.