Anchor Point has a new dentist.

Dr. Brandon Astin began working with Dr. Ryan Abbott, at the dental clinic at 34115 Sterling Highway, earlier this summer. He began seeing patients full time Sept. 1.

Abbott is leaving the area for specialty training in dental prosthetics, or prosthodontics. The change means Abbott will study out of Alaska for the next three years “learning more about helping people who have missing, badly worn, and diseased teeth,” he said in a letter to his patients.

“I will learn about dental implants, doing research to advance the frontiers of dental knowledge and teaching new dentists,” he said in his letter in which he also thanked the community for its support and introduced Astin.

Astin and his family moved from Juneau, where he had been practicing with the NYU Lutheran Advanced Education in General Dentistry program for just over a year.

Astin and his wife, Jenny, met in their swimming class at Brigham Young University. They share a passion for outdoor activities and spent most of their first summer dating on bike rides or going fishing and camping. They have been married about 5 ½ years and have two sons, Owen, who turns 3 this month, and Spencer, who is 1 ½.

At Brigham Young, Brandon Astin majored in exercise science, while Jenny graduated with a degree in PE teaching and coaching. He attended dental school through Roseman University of Health Sciences in South Jordan, Utah. He is originally from the Couer d’Alene, Idaho, area; she is originally from the Durango, Colo., area.

At the Anchor Point clinic, Astin will continue to provide many of the same services, including same-day crowns, dentures in three days, wisdom teeth extractions, root canals, exams and cleanings for all ages, and bonded white fillings.

Hours of the clinic, located in the same building as the Alaska State Troopers, will remain the same: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday. The clinic phone number is 226-3700.

“We’re excited to be here,” Astin said in an email. “We are still getting to know the area and explore it. We like to be out in the community and love to get involved. If you see us, say ‘hi’ and don’t be afraid to ask us to help out with anything.”