Dr. Lisa Kubik, DMD

Dr. Lisa Kubik, DMD, practices general and restorative dentistry at Copper Sky Dental in Peoria, Arizona, serving patients throughout Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise, Glendale, and the greater West Valley. Her path into dentistry was not a straight line from undergraduate studies to dental school, it began in a different career entirely, took a detour through her own experience as an adult dental patient, and arrived at a calling she now describes as the best decision of her professional life.

From Wisconsin to Dentistry

Originally from Muskego, Wisconsin, Dr. Kubik attended the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and initially pursued a career in personal banking. She enjoyed the relational side of banking, the steady work of sitting across a desk from people, listening to what they wanted to build, and helping them get there, but she sensed she was not quite in the right field.

Her perspective on dentistry changed when she became an adult orthodontic patient and experienced firsthand the positive impact quality dental care can have on a person's life. The transformation was not only cosmetic. It changed how she carried herself, how comfortably she smiled in photos, how readily she spoke up in meetings. She walked out of her last orthodontic appointment knowing that she wanted to do for other people what her own dental team had done for her, and she began the long process of reorienting her career.

Life in Arizona

Inspired to pursue her new calling, Dr. Kubik moved to Arizona to attend the prestigious Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine in Glendale, earning her DMD. Midwestern is one of two dental schools in Arizona and is widely respected for the depth of its clinical training. During her time there, Dr. Kubik received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Research, a recognition she values not for the prestige but for what it represented: a willingness to dig into questions about how dentistry actually works and to come back with answers patients can use.

That award-winning research has been published and is available through the University of Texas Health Science Center's Critically Appraised Topics library: Nd:YAG Laser More Effective in Reducing Dentin Hypersensitivity Secondary to Recession Than an Er:YAG Laser (opens in new tab). The clinical question it addressed, which type of dental laser more reliably reduces tooth sensitivity from gum recession, has a direct bearing on the care Dr. Kubik offers her patients today. Reviewing two randomized controlled trials, the research concluded that Nd:YAG laser treatment produced clinically significant reductions in dentin hypersensitivity beyond what Er:YAG lasers achieved. It is the kind of evidence-based work that shapes how Dr. Kubik approaches sensitivity and gum recession in her own practice, looking to the best available research rather than to whichever option happens to be most heavily marketed.

After graduation, she and her husband decided to make Arizona their permanent home and have since welcomed two daughters and a son. The West Valley is now home, the schools her children attend, the trails her family hikes on weekends, the community whose patients she sees in her chair. That rootedness matters in a profession often shaped by short-term commercial considerations. Dr. Kubik plans to be here for the long term, and her patients are part of that long term with her.

Why General Dentistry

Dr. Kubik chose general dentistry over a specialty because she wanted to walk alongside her patients through every chapter of their oral health, not just one. A general dentist sees the full picture, the routine cleaning that catches early decay, the crown that protects a cracked tooth, the implant consultation when a tooth cannot be saved, the conversation with an older patient about how to keep their dentition functional for the next two decades. She finds that long-arc continuity more rewarding than any single procedure.

She is particularly drawn to working with patients who feel anxious about dental care. Her own adult experience taught her how vulnerable a patient can feel in a dental chair, and she works hard to take that vulnerability seriously. That means explaining what she sees on the X-ray, walking through the options before any handpiece is picked up, and never rushing a patient toward a decision. Patients who came to Copper Sky Dental after years away from the dentist often become her most loyal patients, precisely because they were met with patience rather than judgment.

Continuing Education and Teaching

Dr. Kubik holds an Academy of Laser Dentistry certification, earned during her research years at Midwestern, which reflects the depth of training she sought out beyond the standard curriculum. She continues to pursue continuing education each year in restorative materials, periodontal therapy, and the integration of digital dentistry into everyday practice.

She also returns to her alma mater as a guest lecturer at Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine in Glendale, helping prepare the next generation of Arizona dentists. Teaching keeps her sharp. There is no better way to ensure you understand a clinical concept than to explain it to a fourth-year student who is about to do the procedure for the first time. Many of the dentists she trained alongside, and many of those she has helped teach, now practice across the West Valley.

Working Alongside Dr. Holyoak

One of the privileges of practicing at Copper Sky Dental is working alongside Dr. Robert Holyoak, who is in his 50th year of dentistry. Few younger dentists get the chance to absorb the clinical judgment of a colleague with that much experience. Dr. Kubik and Dr. Holyoak consult each other regularly on complex cases, share imaging across treatment rooms, and bring complementary strengths to the practice. The patients of Copper Sky Dental benefit from that collaboration whether they realize it or not, two sets of eyes, two perspectives, one consistent standard of care.

What Patients Can Expect

New patients of Dr. Kubik are sometimes surprised by how much time she spends actually listening before she begins examining. She wants to know what brought a patient in, what their history with dentistry has been, what they hope to get out of the relationship long-term. Only then does the clinical work begin. After the exam, she will walk patients through what she observed using their own X-rays and intraoral photographs, explain the options in plain language, and answer every question, including the ones patients have been embarrassed to ask other dentists.

Professional Memberships

• American Dental Association (ADA)
• Arizona Dental Association (AZDA)
• Academy of Laser Dentistry

Community Service and Volunteer Work

Dr. Kubik believes good dental care should reach the people who need it most, not only those who can afford it most easily. That conviction shapes a substantial portion of her time outside the practice. Her ongoing community service includes:

• Give Kids A Smile, providing free dental care to children in need
• Super Sealant Saturday, preventive sealants for at-risk children
• Arizona Community Dental Clinic (volunteer)
• St. Mary's Food Bank
• Health Outreach through Medicine and Education
• DOCARE International service trips to Guatemala and Colombia

The international trips, in particular, have shaped how she thinks about dentistry. Providing care in settings where patients have never seen a dentist before, and may not see one again for years, sharpens your appreciation for what consistent preventive care can do, and for how much most of her West Valley patients can take that consistency for granted. Those trips also reinforced something Dr. Kubik already believed about her work at home: that the most important thing she does for a patient is usually not the most technically demanding procedure, but the quiet, repeated work of catching small problems early and explaining them clearly. That work does not make headlines, but over a lifetime it adds up to teeth a patient can still chew with at 80.

"I became a dentist because I experienced firsthand how quality dental care can change a person's life. I want to give that same experience to every patient."

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