Our Staff

Dr. Vahaken Arslanian received his B.S. in chemistry from Cal State Northridge in 1989. He continued his education at Loma Linda University where he earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1993. He joined the Loma Linda University school of Dentistry faculty soon after graduation and maintained a private practice in Southern California. In 1997 he moved to the Central Valley where he has been rendering general dentistry services for children under anesthesia at multiple outpatient surgery centers. Dr. Arslanian has been part of the Fresno Dental Surgery Center team since 2007. When he isn’t at the center, he enjoys spending time with his family.

Dr. Richard Spencer graduated from The University of the Pacific in 1972 with a B.A. in psychology. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry in 1976 and completed a hospital based General Practice Dental Residency at Valley Medical Center, Fresno, California in 1977. He was engaged in the private practice of general dentistry from 1977 to 2016. While in private practice, Dr. Spencer dedicated a significant part of his time to the treatment of developmentally and medically compromised children; and maintained staff privileges at Children’s Hospital Central California, Madera and Kaiser Permanente Hospital, Fresno. Since leaving private practice, Dr. Spencer has continued to provide restorative dental services to the children of the central valley through Fresno Dental Surgery Center. He enjoys spending spare time with his family and remains inspired by the unique energy, imagination and enthusiasm exhibited by each of the young patients he is privileged to care for. 

Dr. Paul Ayson is General Dentist that has been in practice since 1999. He limits his practice to children. He graduated from the University of Washington with a baccalaureate degree in Zoology in 1993. He then received his DDS degree from the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in 1999. After earning his DDS, Dr. Ayson served in the US Air Force from 1999 to 2002, stationed at LaughlinAFB, TX. After active-duty service, Dr. Ayson worked at a Federally Qualified Health Center for 7 years, as well as working in a pediatric dental practice in Salinas, CA. Working at the pediatric dental practice in Salinas is where Dr. Ayson found his niche. In 2009, Dr. Ayson, earned an MBA with an emphasis in Healthcare Management; he also earned his graduate certificates in Healthcare Ethics from the University of Missouri and Healthcare Law from Seton Hall University.  In addition to treating patients at FDSC, Dr. Ayson is also a supervising dentist at the Fresno City College Dental Hygiene Program. Furthermore, he is very active in organized dentistry. He has served on the board of Tulare Kings Dental Society, and is currently a member of the Fresno Madera Dental Society Board. Presently, Dr. Ayson serves on the CDA Government Affairs Council, the Dental Hygiene Review Committee of the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation and a Board Member of the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry Alumni Association. On his spare time, he spends it with his family, rides his bicycle and is an avid college football fan.

Robert Orr started his career in medicine at an early age. In high school, he became a First Responder working with the Civil Defense Explorer Post. He then joined the US Navy Reserves as a Navy Corpsman while in high school in 1986. He later transferred to the Mississippi National Guard as a combat medic to continue his service while he attended the University of Southern Mississippi.  Robert earned a B.S.N. at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1991 with a minor in Military Science while commissioned in the US Army through the R.O.T.C. program. Robert graduated from Xavier University/Charity Hospital of New Orleans in 1996 with an M.S. in Nurse Anesthesiology. In 2006, he retired from the US Army Reserves and moved to Clovis, California in the Central Valley. Robert has worked with the Omni Anesthesia group covering such facilities as Eye-Q Vision Center, Herndon Surgery Center, Community Regional Medical Center, Pristine Surgical Center, and Fresno Dental Surgery Center. Robert started working at Fresno Dental Surgery Center in 2008 and later became the Director of Anesthesia there in 2012.  He has been closely working with the dentists, nurses and other staff members to provide a safe environment for the outpatient center. In 2013 while working full-time, Robert completed an M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix. In recent years Robert transitioned to the Central California Anesthesiology Solutions group which absorbed most of the Omni Anesthesia group contracts. Now Robert, while being the Director of Anesthesia, also works at Eye-Q Vision Center, Renaissance Surgery Center, Women’s Plastics and several Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Offices in Fresno. In February 2023, Robert published an article in the American Association of Nurse Anesthetist Journal, “Full Mouth Dental Restoration on a Treacher-Collins Patient without Intubation.”  Fresno Dental Surgery Center continues to provide excellent care for lots of special needs patients.

Sam is a military veteran and registered nurse serving as the Director of Nursing and Infection Control Director at Fresno Dental Surgery Center.  With over 20+ years of experience in the medical field as a Navy Corpsman and a pediatric nurse. He was drawn to nursing in his passion to help patients understand their health needs. He loves working with children and helping them feel comfortable before any treatment. Certifications that he has obtained include base life support, advanced cardiovascular life support, and pediatric advanced life support. Sam leads the clinical team, ensuring high-quality patient care and safety. Sam is happily married with 2 children. When Sam isn’t at work you can find him cheering on the Raiders football team or spending time with his family.