Dr. Kelly Last considers herself lucky to have been able to call Colorado her home for her entire life. She grew up near Parker, Colorado and went on to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Last graduated with a degree in Biology from Boulder and continued her education at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine in Denver. In 2006, she graduated cum laude from dental school and continued her education with a general practice residency at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Denver.

Dr. Last strongly believes in the importance of community service and was soon drawn to a small, non-profit clinic in downtown Denver. The Howard Dental Center provides comprehensive dental care to highly medically compromised patients who are also medically indigent. She spent two years at the clinic learning to treat highly complex patients; more importantly, she learned the value of compassion. Dr. Last is incredibly thankful for the opportunity she had to provide care for patients at this clinic.

After having a great experience living in downtown Denver, Dr. Last and her husband Rob decided it was time to move closer to nature. In May of 2009, they made the transition from the city to beautiful Evergreen. Dr. Last and her husband are both avid snowboarders, and they love to hike and camp. Evergreen is a natural fit for them and for their two dogs, Coabie and Maya. Shortly after the move, Dr. Last was fortunate to make the acquaintance of Dr. Richard Wheeler. After spending several months getting to know him, she knew that it would be an honor to follow in his footsteps and to take over the practice he had spent so many years nurturing.

Dr. Last loves the practice of dentistry and is a strong believer in the importance and necessity of strong continuing dental education. As such, she is a member of two local study clubs, one group focuses on the improvement of the practice of esthetic dentistry, and the other focuses on implant dentistry. Additionally, Dr. Last is a member of the Colorado Prosthodontic Society, the Academy of General Dentistry, the Committee on the New Dentist, the Metro Denver Dental Society, the Colorado Dental Association and the American Dental Association.

Tara is from Arvada, Colorado, and has lived here pretty much all her life. Tara has always known she wanted to be in the health care field. She attended CU Dental School dental hygiene program and graduated there in 2005. She and Dr. Last are alumni.

Tara now lives in Black Hawk with her husband Jeremy of two years, they have a sweet lab named Suzie who is 10 years old.

Tara enjoys and takes passion in what she does as a Dental Hygienist. Her goal is to educate patients on how they can achieve the best oral health and wellness possible. Tara thrives on creating a patient / clinician relationship based on compassion, gentle care, and integrity. "I want my patients to feel like coming to the "dentist" to come see me isn't so bad after all... I want them to feel as comfortable as possible and look forward to their next 6 month check up and dental hygiene visit." Tara also takes pride in working for an office that is on the leading edge of technology and continuing education.

Tara enjoys hiking, camping, golfing and snowboarding, most anything CO has to offer. She would like to travel more and her favorite past time is hanging out with her husband, family and friends as well as her puppy dog.

Karen is a native of Colorado and is the mother of two teenage boys. After high school (many moons ago) she joined the U.S. Navy, where she served our country on active duty for 4 years in communications. Karen loves to travel; anywhere with a beachis her favorite destination. She also loves to explore our great state and enjoy taking drives in the mountains. She actually lives in the city and commutes up to Evergreen because it is so beautiful up here.

She made a career change about 5 years ago from administrative assistant to dental assistant. She has extra training as an EDDA (Extended Duty Dental Assistant). She also has completed Nitrous Oxide training and will be attending an occlusion class later this summer. Karen enjoys learning and strives to be on the leading edge.She really loves her job and is so happy that she made the career change. She looks forward to seeing you in our office!

Carol is married and has three grown sons and four adorable grandchildren. Her family is a highlight of her life, when not in the office or serving in some type of fashion in her husband's ministry.

She started out with a business journey. Through further education and training she went into the medical field involving hospital and OR assisting. Her path continued into the areas of patient care and medical receptionist for three family and internal medicine clinics before adventuring into the dental field. There she has been an active patient and business coordinator for 10 plus years.

She is excited about the new ownership of the office and enjoys the new energy brought in by her new bosses Dr. Kelly Last and Rob Last. With the introduction of new technology, Carol has shown her enthusiasm through her ability to learn to quickly and improve the efficiency of the office.

Patient care is still a top priority for her and her compassion shows it. She strives to conquer any questions and insurance needs while maintaining financial structure and security. Although scheduling can be a challenge it is always overcome by her perseverance, patience and expertise.

Her hobbies include cooking for (hundreds of people over the years), gardening (home grown veggies), traveling, scuba diving, (she was stung by a stingray and survived!), serving in missions, ATVing, camping and most outdoor activities and sports.

Kris is the newest member of the team and was added due to the remarkable number of new patients that have put their trust in Dr. Last since she took over the practice. You will see Kris both in the front office assisting Carol and in the back office assisting Karen. Kris has an extensive background in office administration as is currently attending school to complete her Associate of Science degree. She and her family live in Bailey and enjoy everything the Colorado outdoors has to offer.

Rob is glad to make Colorado his home after a career of trading options on the Chicago Board of Options Exchange (CBOE) for a decade.In addition to his trading career, Rob has a broad background ranging from real estate development to producing an independent film. Soon after moving to Colorado, he met Kelly and they have been together ever since. Rob is currently using his expertise in the role of office manager and handles the business side of things at La Plaza Laser Dentistry. His educational background is in Civil Engineering from Cornell University. He loves to travel, the outdoors, snowboarding, golfing and hiking.

Coabie is Dr. Last's ten-year-old golden retriever. She has been coming to the dental office with Dr. Last for the past four years and is a great member of the team. She spends most of her days in the front office and reception area where she welcomes new patients and plays with our younger patients. She is very friendly and is great for calming the nerves of anxious patients. She is also very well behaved and knows her boundaries. She is never allowed back in the operatories where actual dental procedures are taking place. She is a great addition to the office! And just in case she gets a little too close to your dark pants, don't worry; we always have lint rollers available and ready!