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 13 reviews
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2 years ago
Very nice and friendly staff! Made payment plans and getting my braces very easy! Great atmosphere and vibes with every visit! My teeth came out looking great! I highly recommend!
Linda King
2 years ago
Dr Alter and his staff are amazing! They are professional, efficient, and competent. I am so happy that we found Dr Alter's office years ago when my husband was looking into getting braces. He went to several other orthodontists that either said it was a very difficult case or that he would need jaw surgery. Dr Alter took on this difficult case without my husband having to get jaw surgery. Dr Alter superseded our expectations. My husband now has a perfect smile and gets compliments from complete strangers often! My teenage daughter currently sees Dr Alter for her treatment plan and always comes out saying that the staff is so friendly, kind, and attentive. We are so grateful and appreciative with the beautiful smiles that he has created!
Linda King
3 years ago
Dr Alter and his staff are amazing! They are professional, efficient, and competent. I am so happy that we found Dr Alter's office years ago when my husband was looking into getting braces. He went to several other orthodontists that either said it was a very difficult case or that he would need jaw surgery. Dr Alter took on this difficult case without my husband having to get jaw surgery. Dr Alter superseded our expectations. My husband now has a perfect smile and gets compliments from complete strangers often! My teenage daughter currently sees Dr Alter for her treatment plan and always comes out saying that the staff is so friendly, kind, and attentive. We are so grateful and appreciative with the beautiful smiles that he has created!
Garrett Jones
4 years ago
Dr.Alter the best...would recommend to all, without qualms
Alejandra Diaz
4 years ago
Me and Kids love this place. The service is outstanding. The assistants are always very welcoming. They know me by name. They are amazing at what they do. The receptionist is very nice. We see Dr. Alter and he's the best. Thanks for all the help towards me and kids. We really appreciate all you've done for us.
Camille Albritton
4 years ago
The Best Orthodontist That I Ever Could Have In The Whole Wife World
Camille Albritton
5 years ago
The Best Orthodontist That I Ever Could Have In The Whole Wife World
Garrett Jones
5 years ago
Dr.Alter the best...would recommend to all, without qualms
Alejandra Diaz
5 years ago
Me and Kids love this place. The service is outstanding. The assistants are always very welcoming. They know me by name. They are amazing at what they do. The receptionist is very nice. We see Dr. Alter and he's the best. Thanks for all the help towards me and kids. We really appreciate all you've done for us.
Brom 7358
6 years ago
Horrible place I was waiting for more than a hour and they were in side having a birthday party I really don't recommend this place horrible service
Brom 7358
6 years ago
Horrible place I was waiting for more than a hour and they were in side having a birthday party I really don't recommend this place horrible service
Robert McBee
6 years ago
I had my orthodontic treatment using invisalign, in preparation for crowns. The care administered by Dr. Alter and his team was excellent. Their work was of the highest quality, and they all went above and beyond in providing timely, effective, and thorough services. The front office provided a complete explanation of the invisalign process. They were friendly and highly flexible in adjusting appointments. The back office was very attentive, and juggled schedules and their own times to meet my needs. Dr. Alter's knowledge and guidance through the entire process were first-rate. Dr. Alter worked closely with my dentist to ensure his work in combination with the crown work were a complete success. He developed alternative guards and retainers in support of the crowns and teeth whitening. He also provided me great information for financial issues associated with the dental services. The results - fantastic! I highly recommend the Buto and Alter Orthodontics office to anyone.
Robert McBee
7 years ago
I had my orthodontic treatment using invisalign, in preparation for crowns. The care administered by Dr. Alter and his team was excellent. Their work was of the highest quality, and they all went above and beyond in providing timely, effective, and thorough services. The front office provided a complete explanation of the invisalign process. They were friendly and highly flexible in adjusting appointments. The back office was very attentive, and juggled schedules and their own times to meet my needs. Dr. Alter's knowledge and guidance through the entire process were first-rate. Dr. Alter worked closely with my dentist to ensure his work in combination with the crown work were a complete success. He developed alternative guards and retainers in support of the crowns and teeth whitening. He also provided me great information for financial issues associated with the dental services. The results - fantastic! I highly recommend the Buto and Alter Orthodontics office to anyone.
Rhonda Natividad
8 years ago
My daughter recently had her braces removed and all I can saw is wow!!!! What a beautiful smile Drs. Buto and Alter have given her. Love the kind caring staff!! Always smiling, friendly and professional. Our favorite part is on the ride down , guessing what color the beautiful staff will be wearing! Highly recommend.
Lilia Coppa
8 years ago
I just HAVE to take the time to write about the wonderful experience that my sons and I had with this orthodontic office. Dr. Alter is a genius in handling difficult orthodontic cases! My son (17 yrs old) had had two previous orthodontists with expensive treatments and neither of them could fix his crossbite, but after Dr. Alter's treatment he has a beautiful smile and no longer has any jaw pain. I also had a difficult orthodontic dilemma myself, after having 4 years of braces as a teenager, my teeth were still pushed in and had gaps in between. Dr. Alter took my case and delivered on what he promised, even though I am almost 50 years old. He coordinated my orthodontic work with my dentist so that he could work on improving my smile. The office staff is very friendly and loving, careful when working in our mouth so that we could have the best experience possible with the least discomfort. We hardly waited when we had our appointments, and the scheduler was always accommodating to our tight schedules. My family and I have had many experiences with orthodontists in the past, so the care by Dr. Alter and his staff has been BY FAR the best we have had in all aspects. Highly recommend Dr. Alter as your first choice or if you need a second opinion after having had a bad experience with other orthodontists. Well worth your time and money! Dr. Coppa
Zoe Steele
8 years ago
My braces were on and off in less than a year, and right before my 21st birthday! Dr. Alter along with all the Oxnard/Thousand Oaks staff are friendly, knowledgable, and awesome. I owe my smile to them!
Fred Baskin
8 years ago
Back about September of 2003, at age 7, my granddaughter's dentist, Dr. Ryan Yamashiro, DDS, MD, diagnosed her as having a severely deformed mouth that would require significant orthodontic treatment and most likely jaw surgery. A birth defect gave her a significant under-bite and malformed side teeth. When I asked Dr. Yamashiro to recommend an orthodontist, he strongly recommended Redmond, Buto & Alter in Oxnard. In October of 2003 she was given a thorough examination by Dr. Tim T. Buto, DDS, who provided us with a clear understanding that her extensive Class III orthodontic problems could take years to resolve. Dr. Buto, because of her age, chose to re-evaluate her dental and skeletal development for at least a year. After monitoring her for two years, treatment began in earnest in October 2005. In 2012, Dr. Rick D. Alter, DDS, MS, began preparing us for my granddaughter's jaw surgery. Dr. Alter arranged for her to be seen by Professor (Dr.) Earl G. Freymiller, DMD, MD, Chair of UCLA's Oral and Maxilliofacial Surgery. Dr. Freymiller confirmed that jaw surgery would be needed, or "she will have dental problems the rest of her life." It wasn't until May 2015 that we were able to have Dr. Wayne Ozaki, MD, DDS, Professor & Director of Craniofacial Surgery at UCLA perform 5 hours of surgery to correct my granddaughter's deformed jaws. Throughout the 12 years, Drs. Buto and Alter, without doubt, provided the very best orthodontic care. Their staff are all the "cream of the crop"; always friendly, understanding, efficient and expertly skilled. Every time we left their office we knew "the team" gave outstanding care. I particularly was impressed with Dr. Rick D. Alter, and his "above and beyond" concern that everything be done right. He helped ensure the surgery performed on my granddaughter was done by the 'best of the best' oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Dr. Alter kept in constant contact before and after the surgery, helping to allay our many fears. To anyone considering orthodontic care, let it be known we strongly recommend "Buto & Alter Orthodontics"!
Zoe Steele
8 years ago
My braces were on and off in less than a year, and right before my 21st birthday! Dr. Alter along with all the Oxnard/Thousand Oaks staff are friendly, knowledgable, and awesome. I owe my smile to them!
Elizabeth Alvarez
8 years ago
Every detail at Buto and Alter Orthodontics is thoughtfully considered for the long-term health of their patients, with the highest quality customer service possible. We are so thankful to Drs. Buto and Alter, and their priceless team. Thank you.
Tyler Cook
8 years ago
I first encountered the superlative staff of Buto and Alter a couple years ago when I first had braces and due to no fault of theirs, I returned recently to touch up the gaps that not wearing your retainer will cause. The first class staff is always friendly and genuinely happy to have you, they make having braces as smooth sailing as it could possibly be. Im sure we all have had someone working on our teeth at one point in time that we felt as if we could have done better ourselves blind folded. Not the case here, in fact the exact opposite. Dr. Alter is always fun to talk to and a very cool all around person, ultimately I believe he is the best at what he does. Piece together the incomparable staff along with the hard work and care from Dr. Alter and you have the best orthodontics office in Ventura County. Thank you again, Tyler
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