Dr. Alter, the youngest of four children and son of an orthodontist, was born and raised in southern California. He graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1996. He then entered dental school at the University of Southern California where he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2000. At the Medical College of Virginia, he attained his speciality degree in orthodontics and received a Master of Science degree in biomechanics. As a teen, Dr. Alter studied the Martial Art of Tae Kwon Do and earned a second degree Black Belt. At UC Santa Barbara, he was honored as Scholar Athlete for his accomplishments in scholastics and springboard diving. He is an avid surfer and has traveled worldly in search of the perfect wave. Dr. Alter and his wife, Claudia, enjoy spending time with their sons, Julian and Dylan, who keep them happily busy!
Dr. Mike Meru was born and raised in Newbury Park, where he spent the first 19years of his life. After graduating from NPHS and completing his bachelor of arts from Brigham Young University, Dr. Meru attended dental school at USC. After Dental School he completed a 3 year orthodontic residency, graduating in May of 2012 with an Orthodontic Certificate and Masters Degree in Craniofacial Biology.
As you commence your smile journey with us, you'll come to find that we rely on these incredible individuals for so many aspects of our practice. We are grateful to call them our staff and our family.
Reviews
Rating 4.7 out of 5 based on 19 reviews
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newest oldest highest lowestDwight Harvey
2 years ago
I have been a patient of Dr. Alter for about 3 years. Yesterday I had my last appointment and he said I am done! I never had braces in my younger years and as an older adult, my lower teeth were getting pretty bad. I had good teeth but they were pretty crooked and getting worse. Dr. Alter recommended Invisiline. This method took longer than braces but the outcome was really good. I now have straight teeth and a good bite. Additionally, both my boys were treated by Dr. Alter (with braces) to straighten their teeth. Again, the outcome was good. My experience with Dr. Alter AND his staff left me with a very professional and competent service. He and his staff are all very friendly, courteous, and professional. I highly recommend this office for your Orthodontic needs.
Dwight Harvey
2 years ago
I have been a patient of Dr. Alter for about 3 years. Yesterday I had my last appointment and he said I am done! I never had braces in my younger years and as an older adult, my lower teeth were getting pretty bad. I had good teeth but they ...
Alissa Morton
2 years ago
When you walk into the office, you are greeted by Eileen and Carla, both of whom are so kind and welcoming. Dr. Meru is helping me with my retainer and he's an absolutely great guy. He makes going to the ortho actually fun! Krista makes ...
Alissa Morton
3 years ago
When you walk into the office, you are greeted by Eileen and Carla, both of whom are so kind and welcoming. Dr. Meru is helping me with my retainer and he's an absolutely great guy. He makes going to the ortho actually fun! Krista makes going fun as well. They are always on time and spend as much time with you as you need to get questions answered. I'd definitely refer family and friends to Dr. Meru's office.
Brianna Denise
8 years ago
My teeth had moved after getting my wisdom teeth removed and they were bad! My dentist thankfully referred me to their office and we decided Invisalign was the best route. Its rare to hear someone rave about their orthodontist but this is ...
Curran Cummings
8 years ago
We've had a great experience with Dr. Alter. He's honest and upfront. Moving forward with two children who will need braces I feel like we are in good hands.
Kayla Scott
8 years ago
Doctors Buto and Alter are amazing! I love my new smile! They were conservative in their approach giving me free office visits for over a year before they decided my growth was ready for braces, where the 4 other offices we met with wanted to start immediately. Their rates were right in line with the others, too. Highly recommend this team! And my brother just started his treatment. Can't wait to see his new smile in a couple years!
david canale
8 years ago
Doctors Alter and Buto are truly fantastic orthodontists. I am a general dentist in the area. I have never written a review about anyone in my profession before but feel compelled to let as many people know how happy my patients and I have been with their office. I have been working with them for many years. I refer all of my patients in need of orthodontics to them as well as family and friends. Over the years I have heard huge praise from the hundreds of people I have sent there and being a dentist I look at the before and after of these cases from a different perspective; perhaps a more critical view. I have to say I have not seen anything but the best come out of this office. I have seen remarkable changes in not only the appearance of smiles but even more important, the function of the dentition. And to top it all off the staff is amazing, friendly, helpful and really know their stuff.
Nancy Mazza
8 years ago
Dr. Alter is the ONLY orthodontist you should go to! I had extremely crooked teeth and now have a perfect, wide smile with straight teeth. Dr. Buto was equally spectacular with braces for my two teenagers. The entire staff is extremely competent, professional and cheerful. I actually enjoyed every appointment. They are very accomodating with your schedule and the braces came off earlier than expected. Don't look anywhere else....you get your dream, perfect teeth here!
Curran Cummings
8 years ago
We've had a great experience with Dr. Alter. He's honest and upfront. Moving forward with two children who will need braces I feel like we are in good hands.
Brianna Denise
8 years ago
My teeth had moved after getting my wisdom teeth removed and they were bad! My dentist thankfully referred me to their office and we decided Invisalign was the best route. Its rare to hear someone rave about their orthodontist but this is an exception. I have had the pleasure of getting my ortho work with Dr. Alter and his incredible team for the past year or so and I can't sing their praises enough. From beginning to end they have made me feel so comfortable and every single person you come in contact with in their office is sweeter than the next. They treat you like more than a patient and take pride in tracking your process along the way. I get so many compliments on my teeth now so I would happily recommend them to anyone. If you are looking for the best, I am telling you... look no further :)
david canale
9 years ago
Doctors Alter and Buto are truly fantastic orthodontists. I am a general dentist in the area. I have never written a review about anyone in my profession before but feel compelled to let as many people know how happy my patients and I have ...
Wendi Melideo
9 years ago
Dr Alter and his staff are so warm and caring. My son is very sensitive and they handled him with such care. The best orthodontics ever!!!
Ryan B
9 years ago
We took our teenage son to Dr. Alter on the referral of several people and we were so happy with his expertise and attention to detail that my wife and I decided to receive orthodontic treatment as well along with our daughter. The staff was wonderful from the front desk to the assistants. Love the results. Thanks
Tara Brown
9 years ago
I have been going to Dr. Alter for a few years now. You really won't find a better orthodontist in this area. I used a different orthodontist for my braces back when I was in middle school and my teeth ended up moving after the braces came off because the orthodontist told me I didn't have to wear my retainers anymore. When I chose to get Invisalign at Dr. Alter's office to straighten my teeth again, he helped me throughout the whole process and made it very easy. He is great at what he does. The whole office is extremely friendly as well.
Kate Hendrickson
9 years ago
Five stars may seem insurmountable, but it is just simply deserved. I cannot imagine going to any other Orthodontist. From my first day they have been my friends, not people I dreaded. Dr. Alter and Dr. Buto have skills and understandings beyond what I can comprehend and they use them in unique and creative ways. "Customer Satisfaction" is their ultimate goal, and whenever I was concerned, they were more than happy to schedule an appointment to talk, even try something new to make sure I got the result I wanted. They aren't machines. They are genuine people who talk things through, who ask your opinion, who give you options, and ultimately, give you what you want. Dr. Alter and Dr. Buto are unequaled examples of professionalism and determination. My teeth were an absolute wreck. Weird shapes, weird sizes, and they didn't even fit in my jaw. By the book, you pull a tooth. I didn't want that. I didn't want to have an odd number of teeth. I thought my pleas were in vain, but they simply said "okay" and got working to find some alternative way to deal with my problem, and they did. People tell me now that I have perfect teeth; I never could have imagined that without them. No other orthodontist could have given me what I needed. The services of this partnership are unparalleled, and to them I owe my greatest thanks and beautiful smile.
Andrea Dahlgren
9 years ago
We had consulted with an orthodontist before coming to Dr. Alter and we are so thankful we did! Him and his staff are amazingly patient and knowledgeable with all of the details of the treatment. From the initial call, we received a welcome packet which set up my expectations for the first appointment. They are flexible on scheduling always prompt at returning calls. They helped explained the process in detail and never tried to pressure us into unnecessary procedures. Most importantly they made sure my daughter was comfortable, she actually looks forwards to her appointments!
Grace A
9 years ago
The staff here was always so kind, and did excellent work. Thank you Dr. Alter and Dr. Buto for my amazing smile!
Marlene Arimura-Mortimer
9 years ago
Buto & Alter Orthodontics is the best Orthodontics office in town. Dr. Alter was great and very caring and OMG.......my daughter has such a beautiful smile. Thank you so much to the fantastic staff. I refer this office to all my co-workers and friends and family.
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