Meet our staff

Dr. Travis Barham wants you to feel right at home when you come for a dental visit. Dr. Barham and his staff have created a family-friendly place where people can receive their dental care in a relaxed, caring environment.

Earning his DDS degree from the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry in 1975, Dr. Barham has been in continuous practice since early 1976. Before he could realize his dream of opening his own practice, he first served almost 23 years in the United States Air Force Dental Service. During his years in  the service, he gained experience working with a wide variety of patients throughout the West and South, and even in Okinawa, Japan.

Among Dr. Barham’s more noteworthy patients during his Air Force career were General Chuck Yeager and Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner. In addition, Dr. Barham met the Russian general who planned the Russian invasion of Afghanistan as well a Mafia hit man. If you’re interested, Dr. Barham can regale you with some of his many stories!

While in the Air Force, Dr. Barham completed a Master’s level residency in General Dentistry, the Air Force Command and Staff College, and the Air War College. Dr. Barham was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (four times) and the Air Force Commendation Medal, among other awards. 

When he retired from the Air Force, Dr. Barham moved to Asheville, NC, where he decided to combine his profession of dentistry with a mission that is close to his heart: helping underprivileged children. He worked with Mission Hospital’s Children’s Dental Program for seven and a half years. His work involved providing dental care to underprivileged children of western North Carolina in both a mobile clinical setting and in the hospital environment. Then, in 2006, he spearheaded the establishment of a dental program targeting adolescent underprivileged children at Carillion Hospital in Roanoke, VA.

Dr. Barham jokes that while in the Air Force he learned how to work with “children of all ages,” but this ability significantly increased after these clinical experiences with actual children. This makes him extremely skilled in dealing with even the most anxious of patients.

Finally, in the winter of 2009, Dr. Barham’s long-held dream of establishing his own family-friendly practice came to fruition. Blue Ridge Dental began in the downtown area of Waynesville, NC, and in 2013 moved to a more modern and convenient location at 18A Bowman Drive, which is located a mile north of Hwy 74, exit 104 on Hwy 209.

Dr. Barham and his staff invite you to come by and check out the friendly, down-home feeling here at Blue Ridge Dental.

 Donna is the smiling face that you see when you walk through the door. She is a native of this beautiful area and can't imagine living anywhere else. She has enjoyed welcoming patients into the dental field since 1985. When she is not working at Blue Ridge Dental, she likes staying active with her family discovering the wonders Western North Carolina has to offer. She also enjoys traveling throughout this beautiful country at every opportunity. Donna is excited about getting to know every patient and learning about their passions. She looks forward to meeting new people and making new friends!