DENTAL AND ORTHODONTIC PROFLES

Downers Grove Orthodontics Esplanade Dental Care Grove Dental Associates Tower Dental

picture: Dr. Meena Balakrishan, DMD, MS and staff

Dr. Meena Balakrishnan has been dedicated to the Downers Grove community for over 15 years. The family has deep roots in our community. Her husband Dr. Balu Natarajan is a Downers Grove North alumnus! Dr. Balakrishnan has been giving her patients a reason to smile by providing braces and aligners to thousands of children and adults in our community since 2007.

Dr. Balakrishnan was awarded the “Master Carver Award” on Clinic and Research Day at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2001. She received the merit award for Periodontology in 2003 from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in Philadelphia, PA, where she was also class valedictorian. Other accomplishments while at the University of Pennsylvania include being inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honor Society, and earning second place in Clinical Research on Clinical and Research Day.

While attending Bangalore University in India, she earned her Indian Dental Association Merit Certificate as valedictorian of the class of 1996, and received gold medals for her work in Orthodontics, Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics, Periodontology, and Prosthodontics. She also earned the Merit Award for Periodontology from the Indian Society of Periodontology in Mumbai, India.

Dr. Balakrishnan is a member of Excellence in Orthodontics (EIO), which is a prestigious program in which only ONE orthodontist per geographic area is selected, and each is carefully vetted to ensure compliance with the highest standards of clinical care and patient services. Only orthodontists who meet the highest standards and quality are considered to be a part of the program. She was also elected as “One of the Best Orthodontists in America” by Excellence in Orthodontics. Visit them at https://www.excellenceinorthodontics.org/dr-balakrishnan/

Dr. Balakrishnan has taught the dental students at the University of Illinois College of Dentistry since 2003 while she was an Orthodontic resident. She continues to teach dental students and orthodontic residents at UIC. The topic that interests her most is “Non-surgical orthodontic expansion in adults and children”. Her research was recently published in “Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research”. You can read her paper here - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ocr.12359

Dr. Balakrishnan supports many causes that are close to her heart. Downers Grove Orthodontics sponsored “Noah’s Hope” for several years. Her practice also sponsors several District 58 events and local sports clubs. They are involved in the Wellness Fairs held at the Downers Grove North and South High Schools, educating students about the importance of dental and orthodontic health. Downers Grove Orthodontics is a supporter of “Climb Higher at Highland”, a project to raise money to build a playground that is safe and accessible for the students.

Dr. Balakrishnan’s passion to educate patients and parents about orthodontics led her to author her first book – “Grin and Wear It”. Her book is available on Amazon.com. Visit her book site at https:// www.drmeenasmiles.com/. Dr. Balakrishnan has also been featured in Parents Magazine and Family Fun magazine.

You can learn about orthodontics by reading her book, Grin and Wear It, or you can meet this expert right here, at Downers Grove Orthodontics, 1330 Ogden Avenue!