A Korean-speaking orthodontist for Carrollton families.

Two dental degrees, from two countries

Most dentists in the U.S. have one dental degree. Dr. Kang has two, and the order matters.

She trained first at Seoul National University, Korea's flagship national university, and earned her DDS at its dental school. Before that she studied at Seoul Arts Academy. She started piano at four and, for years, wanted to be a professional classical pianist. In her last year of high school she decided she wanted a career built around people, and that led to dentistry and orthodontics.

After Seoul she did a clinical externship at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, then went back through dental school in the U.S. at Boston University's Goldman School of Dental Medicine, graduating at the top of her class with a DMD. She was inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon, the national dental honor society. She practiced general dentistry in Massachusetts and Florida, then completed specialty training in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics at Jacksonville University, where she was a finalist for the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics Resident of the Year award.

Since 2022 she has been named to topDentists for the Dallas area every year. That list comes from votes by other dentists, and it can't be bought.

Credentials, for accuracy: Dr. Kang holds a DMD from Boston University and a DDS from Seoul National University. Elate's board-certified orthodontist is Dr. Kevin Baharvand, her husband and co-founder.

Why the language part matters more than people expect

Orthodontic visits are full of small decisions. Should a 7-year-old start now or wait a year? Expander or not? Braces or aligners for a teenager who plays violin? How does the payment plan work, and what does insurance actually cover?

Plenty of families handle all of that in English just fine. But when a grandparent is the one bringing a child to appointments, or when a parent would simply rather ask hard questions in Korean, it helps to have the doctor herself answer them. That's different from passing a phone back and forth or relying on the 12-year-old patient to translate what the orthodontist said about his own teeth.

It also helps with records. Families who moved from Korea mid-treatment often bring X-rays and notes written in Korean. Dr. Kang can read them. More on transferring treatment.