“We really know our patients and have strong relationships with them,” Buchanan said. “We know what’s going on in their life. We know their families. Now, I’m getting the second generation.”
The orthodontist practice is celebrating 25 years in McKinney. Like the city, the practice has grown, beginning in a 1,000-square-foot building off of US 380 in 1996 and expanding to a two-story, privately-owned building in west McKinney.
Braces are not just about cosmetics, Buchanan said, but are tied to improving a person’s health. Straight teeth help improve breathing and prevent gum infections and other diseases, she said.
“To me that’s the ultimate gift, to give someone that better quality of life,” Buchanan said.
Buchanan also works to help the community. In 1999, she began Smiles Charity to raise money for building homes for deserving families. The fundraising event became an outdoor concert over Memorial Day weekend.
Since then, the charity has funded 15 homes, and ground broke on the 16th home this year. After one of Buchanan’s military patients was killed in Afghanistan in 2010, the charity has been building homes for veterans.
Buchanan also began Shoes for Smiles, a charity that gives shoes to children in need.
She said she hopes to be like her father—who is still in the medical field in his 80s—and continue working for as long as she physically can.
“It’s such a blessing to be able to help patients and restore their dental health,” she said. “I just have a passion for it, and I just feel so lucky and privileged that I get to do this every day.”
Dr. Buchanan Orthodontics
6595 Virginia Parkway, Ste. 100, McKinney
972-542-4412
www.mckinneybraces.com
Hours: Mon. 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Tue. 7 a.m.-2 p.m., Wed. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Thu. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
