Meet The Team

At the core of our dental practice is a friendly team of professionals that are dedicated to your utmost comfort and optimal oral health.  We view each patient as a unique individual, and tailor each treatment to your specific needs.  As part of our commitment to providing close, personalized attention to every patient, we want to encourage patient communication.  Please know that we are here to provide outstanding patient care, and that we value the trust you have placed in us.

Dr. Chad Jensen

Dentist

Dr. Chad Jensen graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 2001.  His General Practice Residency with the Veterans Administration at McClellen Airforce Base provided practical knowledge of dentistry.   In July of 2002 he joined the Colfax Dental Center, and has enjoyed providing excellent dental care to residents in Colfax and surrounding communities.   

Nestled in the beautiful sierra foothills, Dr. Jensen and his wife Deborah feel they could not have found a more suitable location for raising their two children. 

Some of Dr. Jensen's favorite hobbies are mountain biking, snowboarding, four wheeling and running.  


Dr. Justin Diederichs

Dentist

Dr. Justin Diederichs graduated from Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in 2011. After settling in the foothills and practicing in Auburn for seven years, he moved to Colfax Dental Center, taking over for the retiring Dr. Zendner. He plans to continue providing the same quality, caring dental services for the residents of Colfax that they are used to receiving.

Dr. Diederichs lives in Meadow Vista with his wife Kara, and their three children. They stay busy with running their kids to and from, and coaching their various sports. When he gets a minute to himself Dr. Diederichs usually splits his time between projects around the house, the golf course, and the lake once the weather gets warm enough.

Dr. Diederichs has continued his education, and has taken courses on the placement and restoration of dental implants and root canal treatment, as well as staying up on the latest advances in materials and technology. He is excited to be able to take care of the wonderful people of a community that has been such a blessing to him and his family.


Debbie

Office Manager

I've been with Colfax Dental Center for over 18 years. The best thing about my job is the people! Not only the ones I work with, but ALL of the patients that come to our office. We truly care about you and its reflected in the office atmosphere during your visits. My husband Jim and I were raised in the Colfax Community and have raised our family here, who still live close by.  


Mary

Registered Dental Hygienist

Hi my name is Mary, and I am a Registered Dental Hygienist. I've had the great privilege to call Colfax Dental Center my work home since 1994. We have the greatest patients, the best dentists and staff. It is a joy to spend Monday-Thursday with my work family. My husband Randy, and I have called Auburn home for over 40 years. We are living in our forever home located close to Old Town which Randy designed and built. Over these years we have had a blast raising our three great children Jennifer, Brandon and Jonathon, and now we are thrilled to be grandparents! In my spare time, I love to dance, workout, hike and be creative in my beautiful yard. Hope to see you at Colfax Dental Center!


Cat

Registered Dental Hygienist

Cat is super knowledgeable and has a gentle hand with all of her patients, they love to come see her year after year in our hygiene department. If you were lucky enough to have been a patient of Dr. Zendners, you might recognize her as his daughter. We are so lucky to have Cat here in the office to serve the community of Colfax and beyond!


Kim

Registered Dental Hygienist

Kim is such a blessing to our hygiene department. She is wonderful, both personally and professionally. 


Tonya

Registered Dental Hygienist

I have been a Registered Dental Hygienist for 25 years and still love my job! I strive to create an enjoyable experience for you. Along with educating, I create a personalized oral hygiene routine you can follow at home. Outside the office, I enjoy hanging out with my family and friends. My favorite things to do are paddle boarding, dining out and going to concerts.  


Tanya

Registered Dental Assistant

Hi, I'm Tanya! I started as a Registered Dental Assistant in 1999, and started at Colfax Dental Center in 2007. It was an easy transition because I was already a patient since childhood. I was raised in Colfax, but attended college in Toronto, Ontario, and Sacramento. The loves of my life are my son Mason and my golden retriever Pluto. During my free time I enjoy all things outdoors like: working in my yard, music, spending time with friends and family and volunteering. I love working at Colfax Dental because we have amazing patients and staff! 


Laurie

Dental Assistant

Laurie is one of our back office assistants. If you were in the office at any point and heard laughter, most likely it was Laurie. We love her sassy spirit and kind heart. She has graced the office for many years and many of our patients come in just to say hi and visit with her. She is a great part of our Colfax Dental Center family!


Krista

Dental Assistant

Krista works in our back office and does so much in the office in general. She has worked in different capacities within our office during her years here. Patients and staff love her! 


Christy

Registered Dental Assistant

I've been a Registered Dental Assistant since 1992 and I'm still enthusiastic about it. I love general dentistry for the variety that it provides, as well as helping patients improve their smiles and dental health while helping to alleviate a lot of fears and misconceptions they might have. I'm married and we live in the awesome little town of Colfax. I appreciate the scenery and the serenity to be had in a small foothill town after being born and raised in Sacramento. My spare time includes working in the yard, playing ball with our dog Molly, and loving on our cat Dee. I also enjoy movie watching with my husband. I like to travel and discover new and familiar places as time allows. 


Veronica

Schedule Coordinator

I've been with Colfax Dental Center for three years now. I was born and raised in the Bay Area, and I've lived and worked in Colfax for the past 9 years. I'm glad to be a new part of this excellent team, and I look forward to working with every patient that comes through our doors with their needs. Can't wait to meet you all. 


Nichole

Schedule Coordinator

I started with Colfax Dental Center in 2019 I love this Colfax community and I find that I learn new things about this area all the time. I'm very blessed to have my two kiddos, a wonderful hubby and a whole bunch of animals that occupy my time outside of work. In my spare time I like to hang out with my family, ride my horse, take dance classes, play with my Cricut/craft, visit friends and work around my house and property. I like to stay busy! I look forward to getting to know you and your family while in our care, see you soon!


Rylee

Schedule Coordinator

​Hello, my name is Rylee. I have been in the dental field since 2013. I have a beautiful daughter and husband that I enjoy spending time with outside of work. Please call me with any questions you may have. I look forward to meeting you all. 


Dr. Dan Zendner

DDS

January 19, 2018

My Dear Patients and Friends,

I am excited to announce that after practicing dentistry for 41 years, I have decided to retire. I could not do it if I had not found my perfect replacement, Dr. Justin Diederichs (more about him later). I have really enjoyed being your dentist here in Colfax. This town and my patients mean the world to me but I really need to take more long walks in the sunshine and spend time in the mountains I love, hiking in Yosemite and skiing at Northstar and Heavenly.

I love all of you very much and cannot thank you enough for your support and friendship! I will continue to live here and will claim Colfax as my home forever.  When I moved here in 1977 I had no idea how perfect this spot on the earth is, nor how great it would be to be part of this small community.  As I have traveled to a lot of places in the last few years, both in and out of the United States, I have not found any place I would rather live.

Carol and I have a lot of opportunities to travel because our son, Will, is a pilot for Delta Airlines, allowing us to fly standby anywhere in the world for free. He and his wife also make excellent tour guides. Attending more softball games to watch my granddaughter pitch and playing golf with my six-year-old grandson while I can still win are high on my new priority list, along with continuing to hang out with my daughters and son-in-laws.

Dr. Diederichs and I are thrilled that he is taking over for me. He is excited to have the opportunity to take care of members of a community that have already given so much to his family, and that will continue to do so well into the future. His focus at work is on providing high quality patient centered care, tailored to the specific needs of each individual person. Spending the time getting to know the patients, and treating them as unique individuals as I have always done, is extremely important to him.

Dr. Diederichs was born in Anchorage, AK and after moving as a young child spent most of his childhood in the greater Seattle area. For college he moved to San Diego to attend Point Loma Nazarene University and earned a bachelor's degree in biology. He went on to obtain his dental degree in 2011 from the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (my Alma mater, 1976). Upon graduation he returned to the foothills where his wife was raised to put down roots and raise his young family. Dr. Diederichs resides in Meadow Vista with

his wife Kara, and their three children, Kaia (10), Caleb (7), and Lucas (19 mos). Also pictured is niece Taylor.  Kara is a biology teacher at her Alma mater Colfax High (1999), and also coaches the Lady Falcons soccer program for whom she once excelled as a player.

When not practicing dentistry, Dr. Diederichs spends most of his time running around with his kids to all of their various sports and activities. When he gets a minute to himself he usually splits his time between projects around the house, the golf course, and the lake when the weather gets warm enough. I know you will all find that he is more than capable of taking over for me and continuing to serve you with the same compassion and quality that I have always strived to deliver.

Along with Dr. Diederichs, Dr. Jensen and all the other smiling faces of Colfax Dental Center will still be there to take care of you. Dr. Diederichs takes over February fifth but I will still be finishing the work I've started.

It really has been a pleasure to be your dentist and thank you for your support. I still plan to be around town and look forward to bumping into all of you at the lake, the river, and the local golf courses as well as at Lions Club events.

Sincerely,

Dan Zendner, DDS



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