Exceptional Care from a Trusted Dental Team
Thank you for your interest in Lakeland Family Dental. We hope you’ll take a moment to explore our website and learn more about our office and the comprehensive services we offer.
We’re dedicated to high-quality care that helps patients just like you achieve optimal oral health in addition to improved confidence. Our care and concern for our patients doesn’t stop with the service we provide in our office, though. We’re equally committed to helping the larger Oconomowoc community.
For more information about our doctors and our team, please explore the About Us section of our site. We also invite you to give us a call if you have any questions or if you’d like to reserve an appointment with Dr. Ruiz or Dr. Sam.
Our Team
Made up of compassionate, friendly people who treat their patients like friends, the Lakeland Family Dental team is our greatest asset! Our team members have served our patients for many years, are CPR certified, and their passion for excellence shows in their beaming smiles and on the smiles of our patients’ faces.
We seek ongoing training and professional development opportunities to keep our skills fresh. Most of all, we create a positive, fun environment that translates to happy patients.
Dr. Samantha Ruiz
Dr. Samantha Ruiz, also known as "Dr. Sam", knew she wanted to be a dentist from an early age.
She grew up in Kenosha and, after graduating high school, attended Marquette University for nearly a decade. She earned her biological sciences degree from Marquette in 2007 and her DDS in 2010.
Dr. Sam is a member of the American Dental Association, Wisconsin Dental Association, Waukesha County Dental Association, Chicago Dental Society, and the Lake Country Spear Study Club. She is also a certified Invisalign provider. Dr. Sam has past experience serving on the InSession Planning Committee for the WDA, and currently serves in the ADA's Advisory Circle.
Professionally, Dr. Sam considers patient comfort and satisfaction during dental visits to be her top priority. One of her greatest enjoyments in practicing dentistry is witnessing a person's confidence blossom as they learn to show off a beautiful new smile, sometimes after years of being embarrassed about their teeth. Dr. Sam also places great importance on keeping her dental education up to date by attending continuing education courses.
Dr. Sam and her husband (Dr. Ruiz) live in Oconomowoc, and love everything about Lake Country. In her free time, Dr. Sam enjoys hiking, days out on the lake, traveling, and photography. You can see some of her photos adorning the walls at Lakeland Family Dental!
Dr. Eric Ruiz
Dr. Eric Ruiz ("Dr. Ruiz"), received his BA in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. He went on to obtain his DDS from the Marquette University School of Dentistry in 2010.
Dr. Ruiz is a certified Invisalign provider and a member of the American Dental Association, Wisconsin Dental Association, Waukesha County Dental Association, Chicago Dental Society, Lake Country Spear Study Club, and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry.
Dr. Ruiz is passionate about serving his patients, whether it’s curing a painful toothache or restoring a beautiful smile. He truly enjoys interacting with so many unique people every day. He enjoys all aspects of dentistry and is always trying to further his knowledge with continuing education.
On a community level, he is a board member of the Oconomowoc Rotary as well as the Lake Area Free Clinic.
Originally from New Windsor, Illinois, Dr. Ruiz moved to Wisconsin to attend dental school, where he met his wife (Dr. Sam). After graduation, they moved to Oconomowoc, and have enjoyed calling it home ever since. Dr. Ruiz is a huge sports fan and enjoys running, biking, and playing guitar in his spare time.
Laurie
Patient Coordinator and Administrative Assistant
Laurie brings over 30 years of customer service experience to the Lakeland team, with her most recent years spent working in the dental field. She enjoys helping people, whether it is answering their questions or alleviating their concerns about treatment. Providing our patients with exceptional customer service is her number one goal! Laurie is originally from West Allis, but has lived in the Oconomowoc area for almost 2 decades with her husband of 28 years, Joe. During her free time, she enjoys camping, outdoor activities, bowling and spending time with family & friends.
Loi
Patient Coordinator
Our Patient Coordinator Loi has been working in dentistry for over 40 years! She started out as a dental assistant right after high school with on-the-job training, and later transitioned to working in the front office. Loi enjoys meeting so many wonderful and fun patients, and facilitating their financial treatment plans to make sure they leave our office well informed. Loi and her husband Scott have been married for 38 years and reside in Okauchee. They have 2 grown children, who have blessed them with 4 grandchildren: Ady, Kayel, Ruby, and Iris. Besides being a Lakeland team member, Loi is an independent seamstress, specializing in weddings but also alters a wide range of other garments. In their spare time, Loi and her husband are avid campers at River Bend Resort, where they spend a lot of time with friends and family.
Loi’s Fun Fact: “I am all about creating the sunshine!”
Bonnie
Patient Coordinator
Bonnie has a medical background, but decided she wanted to try branching out to dentistry as a Patient Coordinator. Her favorite thing about working at Lakeland Family Dental is getting to meet and talk with so many new people! Bonnie resides in Dousman with her husband and silver labrador retriever, Sully. She has 2 grown daughters, 1 step-son, and 5 amazing grandkids. In her spare time, Bonnie enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Peggy
Registered Dental Hygienist
Originally from Prairie du Chien, Peggy has spent 3 decades in the dental field so far, with over 20 of those as a registered dental hygienist at our practice.
She earned her dental assisting certificate from Western Technical College and her dental hygiene associate degree from Milwaukee Area Technical College. Her favorite thing about her job is being able to support her patients through their fears and give them the most comfortable and enjoyable experience possible.
Peggy and her husband John have two grown sons. During her free time, she enjoys kayaking, reading, cross-country skiing, painting furniture, and spending time with family and friends.
Anne
Registered Dental Hygienist
Anne graduated from Marquette University in 1991 and has been practicing dental hygiene ever since.
Originally from Watertown, she married a native of Oconomowoc. They currently reside here with their son, Jack. They bought a Victorian house, which they spend a lot of time improving.
The rest of Anne’s free time is spent enjoying the outdoors with her husband, her son, and her Bernese Mountain Dog, Pickles.
Elizabeth ("Liz")
Registered Dental Hygienist
Elizabeth, fondly known as "Liz" in our office, has a passion for dental hygiene! Prior to joining the Lakeland team, Liz worked for a periodontist, a dentist that specializes in treating gum disease and other conditions pertaining specifically to the gum tissue and bone that supports our teeth. Liz enjoys all aspects of dental hygiene, especially educating patients of all ages about what they can do to improve their oral health.
In her time away from the office, Liz is busy being mom to her twin children, Richard and Kendall, who are highly involved in kids athletics. Liz is also into personal fitness herself, and is a certified group fitness instructor. Trips up north with her family and their yellow lab Jack are one of her favorite ways to relax from her busy schedule!
Lisa
Dental Assistant
Lisa is one of our wonderful dental assistants and has been with our practice for 15 years!
She grew up in Massachusetts, where she graduated from Mount Ida College in 1994 with her dental assisting certification. Over her years in dentistry, Lisa has experience assisting not only in general dentistry, but in oral surgery and periodontics as well! Her favorite thing about being a dental assistant is taking care of her patients and coworkers.
Lisa and her husband, Alan, have two children, Alex and Adrianna. When she's away from the office, Lisa enjoys being outside while hiking, camping, gardening, and spending time with her family, friends, and dog.
An interesting detail about Lisa is that she is an identical twin!
Erin
Dental Assistant
Erin completed her dental assistant education at Blackhawk Technical College in 2014, and has loved working in the dental field ever since! Prior to her training, she was looking for something different for a career, and dental assisting was just the change she needed. Erin enjoys many things about dental assisting, but spending time with her “work family” is what makes her look forward to work each day. Erin grew up in Janesville, but currently resides in Oconomowoc with her fiancé, two sons (ages 10 and 14), and their dog Luna.
Briana
Dental Assistant
Briana completed her dental assistant education at the Wisconsin Dental Assistant School in 2015, and enjoys serving patients right in her Oconomowoc hometown. Outside of our office, she enjoys pottery and jewelry making, painting, camping, hiking, and scrapbooking. Briana is an animal lover at heart - she has a four year old yellow lab named Bubba, and has been training and riding horses since the age of 6!
Bonnie
Dental Assistant
Our dental assistant Bonnie has been working in dentistry since she was only 16 years old! She started while still in high school with on the job training, and the rest is history. Bonnie was drawn to work in dentistry because a smile is often the first thing you see when looking at another person. She loves the thought of helping people smile, and educating them on how to keep their smile beautiful for years to come. In addition, Bonnie really enjoys getting to know so many different people in our community and surrounding areas. Originally from Oconomowoc, she now resides near Watertown with her husband Henry, dogs Oliver and Ellie, and cat Volta. Bonnie and her husband have 2 grown children, Jake and Zach, and 2 daughters-in-law, Megan and Olivia. They enjoy spending time together running their hobby farm, as well as fishing, bow hunting, gardening, and hiking.
"My appointment with Dr. Sam was the best experience I've ever had at the dental office!" --TB