Dr. Jennifer Buchanan

Leadership is a hard word to define, but the patients and team of Buchanan Orthodontics know it when they see it. For almost 30 years, Dr. Jennifer Buchanan has dedicated herself to helping her staff grow, develop, and become their best selves. “I’ve been blessed with an amazing team and am grateful that they truly care about our patients,” she said. “This isn’t just a job to them. It’s a career.”

Staff turnover is minimal — with a combined tenure of over 50 years — which speaks to the culture and leadership Dr. Buchanan and her team have established. Patients love to see the friendly, familiar faces during their visits.

The mission statement at Buchanan Orthodontics is basically the ‘golden rule’. “As a team, we always want to go that extra mile to treat others as we want to be treated,” Dr. Buchanan said. “Then, we want to take the things we’re learning together home to our families and out into the community.”

Each year, Dr. Buchanan selects a book to read together as a team to develop character and leadership. This year it’s “Holy Moments” by Matthew Kelly. “I gave them each a copy of the book and $100,” she said. “They get to choose how they’ll use the money to create holy moments in others’ lives.”

Dr. Buchanan’s leadership doesn’t stop with her staff though. She has endeared herself to McKinney families by caring not just for their teeth, but for them. “Every encounter we have with someone is an opportunity to impact their life for the better,” she said. “Orthodontics is important because we’re offering our patients healthy, fully functioning teeth that are also beautiful. But if that’s all we do, we haven’t had the impact we could have on them.”

Throughout the year, Dr. Buchanan offers her patients and their families the opportunity to join her in paying it forward in a number of ways including the Shoes for Smiles back-to-school shoe drive and to the charity she founded, SMILES Charity. Since 2008, the SMILES Charity and its many generous sponsors have provided 22 mortgage-free homes to wounded U.S. veterans. And a portion of all Buchanan Orthodontics treatment fees throughout the year go toward paying off mortgages for wounded veterans.

Dr. Buchanan also goes into schools and talks to students about the importance of dental hygiene. Sometimes to the kids’ delight, she even dresses as the tooth fairy. “With the links between bacteria in the mouth and chronic diseases throughout the body, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s, I want kids to establish healthy habits now that will last a lifetime,” she said. “I tell them, ‘Your mouth is the window to the rest of your health.”

Buchanan Orthodontics is about more than creating beautiful, healthy smiles. It’s about one woman’s mission to be a leader, to impact the world and the people she encounters in it. Call or text (972) 542-4412 to schedule your free consultation.