Meet the Doctors

• Loma Linda University
• 34+ Years of Dental Experience

For Dr. Richard “Rick” Hardt, DDS, in Porterville, California, dentistry just seems to be part of his DNA. Upon graduation from Loma Linda University, Dr. Hardt began his career in Lindsay, California, working alongside his father, William Hardt. He later moved to Porterville to work with Dr. Frank Baughman until he retired, then started his own private practice, Richard Hardt, DDS.

Dr. Hardt is a skilled general and cosmetic dentist dedicated to educating his patients about preventive dental care to maintain excellent oral and overall health. When cavities or other dental issues arise, Dr. Hardt is committed to providing his patients with the best available treatments. If restorations are needed, Dr. Hardt prides himself on creating them to look as good as or better than natural teeth, in addition to being durable and providing lasting value for years to come.

Dr. Jabaji’s academic achievements, management, and organizational skills, coupled with her dedication to the profession at a national and international level, led her to be selected to receive the Student Servant Leadership Award from the Academy of Dentistry International.

Dr. Jabaji practiced dentistry in Santa Barbara, Visalia, and Tulare; she currently practices in Porterville. She is passionate about dentistry and strives to provide the best dental care, making patient comfort her priority. Her main mission is to simplify what is often a very complicated and confusing area of healthcare and make the patient part of their own treatment plan to achieve optimal results.

Dr. Lana Jabaji earned her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences from the State University of New York at Buffalo with the highest distinction. She furthered her education at Memphis University, obtaining her master's degree in business administration (MBA). Dr. Jabaji pursued her doctorate in Dental Medicine (DMD) at the State University of Mississippi. Following her doctoral studies, she completed a comprehensive post-graduate residency in Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) at NYU Langone in Santa Barbara.

Jackson Lewis was born and raised here in Porterville and has a special, personal connection to the Live Oak Dental family. Before the practice became Live Oak Dental in 2022, it was owned and run by Jackson’s father, Dr. Steve Lewis. Steve also grew up in Porterville and joined his father, Dr. Ed Lewis, in his dental practice in the 1980s. He practiced for over 30 years and was a beloved dentist in our small community. The driving force that led Jackson to pursue dentistry was his father’s love for the profession and to eventually work alongside him as a third generation Lewis family dentist.

Sadly, Dr. Steve Lewis passed away in late 2021 leaving the hearts of his family and patients broken. Jackson was in his second year of dental school at the time and faced the most challenging time of his life. When a longtime friend of the Lewis family, Dr. Hardt, purchased the practice, Jackson knew that Live Oak Dental would still be a place for him to call home.

Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in health science from Walla Walla University in 2019. Instead of heading straight to dental school he chose to spend a year as a missionary teacher in Majuro, a small third-world island located in the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific, where he taught Science to middle school and high school students. He most recently graduated from Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in 2024 with a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree. He is eager to join Dr. Hardt and the Live Oak Dental team and looks forward to caring for many of the same patients his dad had seen for so many years. It is an honor and privilege for him to work within the same walls his dad did during his career and to learn from his outstanding friend and dentist, Dr. Hardt.

Outside of the office, Jackson can be found enjoying the outdoors and spending time with his family. He loves to spend time exploring and hiking in our beautiful national parks and is an avid skier and golfer as well as a certified scuba diver. He is up for any adventure!