For Dr. Himesh Kana and the team at Dental Depot of DFW, commitment to the community isn’t lip service; it is at the very heart of the company. Since its inception in Oklahoma City in 1978 as a small, family-owned and operated business, Dental Depot offices have partnered with local organizations to give back to the communities they serve, and even as the company has grown, it has remained true to what makes it special—its philosophy of philanthropy.
Dental Depot opened its first DFW location in 2003, and, under the leadership of Dr. Kana, has since opened six more in the north Texas area, providing more families with the high-quality, common sense dental care they deserve at an affordable price. And, just like every other Dental Depot practice, Dental Depot of DFW has been dedicated to relationship building and community support from the very beginning.
“What makes Dental Depot unique is our compassion for our patients and our ability to invest in our core values,” Dr. Kana says. “We have a purpose beyond the services we provide.”
For the last several years, Dental Depot of DFW has partnered with the North Texas Food Bank to help support families and children with food insecurity, a cause that is close to Dr. Kana’s heart.
“The greatest gift is raising and teaching children,” says Dr. Kana, “so my wife, Pravina, and I are very supportive of the needs of North Texas families, and especially children who may go without a meal or who may not know where the next meal is coming from.”
Dental Depot of DFW generates funds for its annual NTFB donation through the sale of Burst toothbrushes and water flossers at all of its locations. Just like Dental Depot, Burst oral hygiene products have a higher mission of improving the lives of patients through quality, value, and affordability, and $5 of every sale goes toward the NTFB effort.
In 2023, Dental Depot locations in the DFW area sold almost 900 Burst products, accounting for nearly $4,000 in contributions to the NTFB, but for Dr. Kana, that’s just the beginning. He and his wife, Pravina, also match the total amount made from Burst sales with their own personal donation, and in January of this year, Dr. Kana, Pravina, and Dental Depot of DFW were able to present to the North Texas Food Bank a check for over $10,000, providing more than 30,000 meals to families in and around the North Texas community.
For 2024, Dr. Kana has set an even higher goal, challenging his patients and practice alike to the sale or purchase of more than 1,000 Burst products so he and Dental Depot of DFW can make a donation of $12,500 in 2025.
“It is so important to stay healthy,” Dr. Kana emphasizes. “And with this program, staying healthy helps support our families in North Texas.”
The generosity of Dr. and Pravina Kana and Dental Depot of DFW comes at a particularly critical time for the NTFB, which is currently experiencing a dramatic decrease in private donations even as the need continues to grow as a result of the post-pandemic end of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Covering a 13-county service area of more than 10,000 square miles, NTFB has the 4th highest level of food-insecure children in the country, and one in eight people are food insecure. The food bank distributed more than 9 million meals in December 2023 alone—nearly 8% more than the same time the previous year—and every week, hundreds of families start lining up 5 hours before distribution begins.
Dental Depot’s partnership with the NTFB is just one part of its larger efforts to give back to the North Texas communities it serves, through money, food, clothing, and even school supplies. Dental Depot hosts a variety of supply drives for local food banks, the YMCA, and other organizations, and they host a company-wide fundraising event during the month of May in conjunction with Red Nose Day to benefit children living in poverty.
“We understand that dental and oral health is just one small part of a person’s overall health and wellbeing, so we strive to help where help is needed,” says Dr. Kana. “Whether it’s donating food, providing funding for student activities, contributing to community beautification projects, or even providing dinner and comfort to families with a child undergoing cancer treatment, caring for people is at the heart of all we do.”
Dental Depot also gives back by participating in health-related causes that contribute to research, like the MS Walk, Miles for Melanoma, and NAMI walks, and through the Smile O’Riley program, an education and prevention program that visits schools and daycares around the DFW metro area to hand out free dental hygiene kits and educate kids on the importance of good oral health habits.
Born near London, England and raised in Western Oklahoma, Dr. Kana learned from a young age the value of treating people well and caring for them. After spending his early years helping his family in the hotel industry, Dr. Kana moved to North Texas, putting his entrepreneurial spirit to work as a Dental Depot partner-owner. He began building a practice dedicated not only to providing the highest level of care but also to leaving a legacy of positive change and impact in the community.
“What we’re doing [at Dental Depot] is life-changing,” said Dr. Kana. “Our patients are more than names; they’re neighbors, family, and friends.”
Dr. Kana credits Dental Depot founders Dr. Glenn and Arlene Ashmore with providing the vision and guidance that serves as the foundation of the company’s culture, one that gives doctors the freedom and flexibility to be a part of their communities. Dr. Ashmore, who still practices and mentors, remains a firm believer that there is a responsibility of service providers like Dental Depot to be a part of the communities where their patients live and to be involved both personally and as a company.
“In dentistry and in our lives, we want to leave a legacy that we always showed up and we always cared,” Dr. Kana says. “We should always carry that spirit of Dr. Ashmore and aim to live a life that makes change and leaves a place better than how we entered it.”
