As the owner and leader of Elevation Dental since 2010, Dr. Kelly Last has focused on the guiding principles of providing the best possible patient experience while continuously elevating quality of care. Dr. Last explains that the last 14 years have been an exciting journey, filled with the joy of creating many rewarding relationships as well experiencing the challenges of learning how to run a small business. There have been many ups and downs, but above all, Dr. Last is grateful for the opportunity to provide dental care for the amazing community of Evergreen.
“The mission of our practice is to provide the highest level of care with compassion, integrity and precision, in that order. That’s how we treat our patients, interact with each other and run the business,” says Dr. Last. It’s an ethos that drives not only coworking relationships at Elevation Dental, but the collaborative care local patients can expect. “Our patients find us organically, and we take the time to understand each person’s specific needs and then create an individual treatment plan to meet these goals,” says Dr. Last, emphasizing how her philosophy is to integrate old and new methodologies with compassion for the individual to find a course of care that works holistically for each individual patient.
Through the challenges of COVID, Elevation Dental’s team stuck together with intention. Now, in an ever-shifting economic climate, especially in the dental world, Dr. Last’s team is stronger and even growing. “As many businesses are experiencing, it can be a challenge to find the right people,” she says. “We were able to maintain our team through COVID and have been growing since. Recently, we’ve been able to hire an incredible new hygienist, and I think it’s because of our culture, the way we work, and the strong bonds within our team.”
As part of her commitment to continuously elevate the quality of care, Dr. Last also recognizes that continuing education and the adoption of new technologies are key ingredients to success. She regularly attends intensive training courses at the renowned Spear Center in Scottsdale, participates in several local dental study groups, and regularly evaluates emerging technologies for incorporation into the Elevation Dental experience. “For example,” she explains, “I had been watching the development of same-day crown milling technologies. A couple of years ago, when the quality of the milling became comparable to lab quality, and they were able to fully incorporate the scanning technologies into the process, I decided to take the leap. Today our patients enjoy the benefits of same-day turnaround without compromising quality.” She adds, “We also recently added a CBCT machine, which is a 3D X-ray machine that allows you to see exponentially more than a traditional 2D X-ray. It’s phenomenal what we can quickly see and diagnose. I believe it will ultimately become the new standard of care.”
For Elevation Dental, fantastic individualized care isn’t just about what goes on in the office. Dr. Last is a longtime member of the Evergreen community, and believes contributing to the community is very important. “After 17 years of practicing dentistry, I realize that being a dentist is so much more than just working on someone’s teeth. It’s the conversations with the patients and the joy of achieving their goals that makes me the most excited. I am so grateful for my patients and team. They make my day. I feel really grateful and blessed to be practicing in Evergreen,” she says. Elevation Dental is a regular supporter of Mountain Foothills Rotary, Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice, Conifer Community Church Split & Steak, Evergreen Poms, and the Andy Smith Golf Tournament which supports special needs programs in the Evergreen area. They also donate dental services through the Dental Lifeline Network.
Visit elevationdental.net to learn more about Elevation Dental’s services and team members.
