Dr. Edward Balasanian

DR. EDWARD BALASANIAN

Dr. Balasanian grew up in the greater Los Angeles area. He graduated Cum Laude from California State University at Northridge in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Minor in Chemistry.

Dr. Balasanian earned his dental degree at the UCLA School of surgery. He remembers his first time in the operating room during a corrective jaw surgery as the moment he decided that a career in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery would be his profession of choice. He earned the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Award for the UCLA School of surgery graduating class of 2001.

Following graduation from Dental school, Dr. Balasanian attended the combined 6-year MD-Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency program at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his medical degree from the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine, graduating in 2004. He completed his general surgery internship and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, completing the program in 2007 after serving as chief-resident for the program in his final year.

Memberships and Certifications
Dr. Balasanian is an active member of the Orange County Dental Society (OCDS). He has been a delegate to California Dental Association (CDA) House of Delegates since 2010 and served on the OCDS Board of Directors from 2012-2020 holding numerous board positions including Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-President and served as President in 2019.

He is also an active member of the California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (CALAOMS). Dr. Balasanian has particular interest in legislation that pertains to healthcare and has made several trips to Sacramento on behalf of the CDA, OCDS and CALAOMS to meet with state legislatures to advocate for the highest of professional standards and public health initiatives. He also serves as a General Anesthesia Examiner on behalf of the California Dental Board conducting examinations of other surgeons and oral and maxillofacial surgeons who are in the process of obtaining their office anesthesia certification.

Dr. Balasanian is a board certified Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and a fellow in the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He is also one of few Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons to be a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Hospital Privileges
Dr. Balasanian has held active hospital privileges at Mission Hospital and CHOC Children’s at Mission(CCMH) since 2007. Leadership roles include Mission Hospital Surgery Executive Committee, Chair of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Section for Mission Hospital and CCMH, Member of Blue Ribbon Commission for Mission Hospital, Vice Chair for the Department of Surgery for CCMH and Chair of the Quality Care Committee for CCMH. Dr. Balasanian is currently serving as the Chief of Staff for CCMH Medical Staff for the 2021-2023 term.

Interests
Dr. Balasanian’s current clinical interests include the full scope of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery with an emphasis on office based anesthesia, wisdom tooth removal, bone graft reconstruction of the jaws, dental implants, orthognathic (corrective jaw surgery), facial trauma surgery, management of maxillofacial infections and surgical management of airway dysfunction (obstructive sleep apnea).

Dr. Balasanian has presented at several professional meetings on topics including corrective jaw surgery, drug related osteonecrosis of the jaws, medical emergencies, dental implants and bone grafting for dental implants. He is also a certified CPR instructor for American Heart Association and enjoys teaching CPR to many local surgeons and their staff.

Personal
Whenever possible, Dr. Balasanian enjoys participating in charitable events and healthcare missions. He has been on surgical mission trips to Mexico and Armenia.

Dr. Balasanian lives in South Orange County with his wife and 3 children. He enjoys being outdoors and spending time with family and friends. When his schedule allows for the right amount of training, he participates in endurance events including triathlons and long distance cycling.