Dr. Lancaster has announced that after almost 40 years he will be retiring. Dr. Mertely, who was raised in Florida, will be taking over Lancaster Family Dentistry with a new name, Kinston Smiles Family Dental. Dr. Mertely obtained her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Central Florida. She graduated from the University of Maryland with her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. She then completed her residency at East Carolina University. Dr. Mertely and her husband Tyler have relocated to North Carolina, where she has been practicing dentistry in a private practice.