Family legacy and heartfelt dedication define Dr. Jackson Lewis's approach to dentistry at Richard Hardt's Live Oak Dental. As a third-generation dentist with deep roots in Porterville, Dr. Lewis brings both exceptional training and a profound personal connection to our community.
Born and raised in Porterville, Dr. Lewis grew up surrounded by the dental profession. His grandfather, Dr. Ed Lewis, established a beloved dental practice in our community, and in the 1980s his father, Dr. Steve Lewis, joined that practice and dedicated more than 30 years to serving Porterville families with compassionate, skilled care. Watching his father's genuine love for the profession inspired Jackson to follow in the family's footsteps.
Dr. Lewis earned his bachelor's degree in health science from Walla Walla University in 2019. Before dental school, he spent a transformative year as a missionary teacher in Majuro, in the Marshall Islands of the South Pacific, teaching science to middle and high school students. He then enrolled at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry — the same institution where Dr. Hardt trained — and earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2024.
Dr. Lewis's path to our practice was shaped by profound loss: his father passed away in late 2021, during Jackson's second year of dental school. Dr. Hardt, a longtime family friend, purchased the Lewis family practice to ensure its legacy of compassionate care would continue — and to give Dr. Lewis a professional home where he could honor his father's memory while building his own career.
Today, Dr. Lewis practices within the same walls where his father worked for over three decades, caring for many of the same patients who have trusted the Lewis name for more than half a century. He pairs modern, evidence-based techniques and our practice's advanced technology with the traditional values of gentle, thorough dentistry his family was known for.
Outside the office, Dr. Lewis is an avid outdoorsman — hiking, skiing, golfing, and scuba diving whenever he can. Family remains central to his life, and he brings that same appreciation for lasting relationships to every patient he treats.
