Wainscott - There is nothing worse than a toothache on a weekend when your dentist is in the city and you are in Montauk. Dr. Ancy Verdier knows this all too well. He is a dentist and he feels your pain, even if it is a perfect beach day and it is Saturday, a day when most dentists are on the golf course or out on their boats.

Verdier has committed to providing dental care 24/7 at his new office in the Wainscott Professional Center on Montauk Highway. You will not find yourself talking to an answering machine either. "The calls will come directly to the office and a person will answer," the personable Verdier said. "I'll come right in, open up and take care of you." That includes toothaches, dislodged fillings, chipped teeth and other dental problems. Verdier often takes calls from dentists in the city who call him to send their patients in for immediate care. His practice is devoted to the area's year round population as well as the high fliers who appear in the summer. The office is close to East Hampton Airport and is frequently the first stop a billionaire or a celebrity will make before heading to their weekend retreat. Patients also call Verdier from the Jitney to make an appointment.

Dr. Ancy Verdier and his office assistant will be on duty 24/7 to provide urgent dental care. He takes calls from patients on the Jitney.

"A lot of people ask me what I do out here in the winter," Verdier said with a laugh that is well known to the year-round community. "I say there are people here all year who need periodontal dental care." He takes insurance too.

As one of the South Fork's four peridontists, Verdier has built a practice around his specialty providing his patients with the benefit of his advanced training and clinical experience. He teaches at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx where he volunteers his time and expertise two days a week. Verdier's work at Lincoln Hospital provides him with an opportunity to give back to the community, teach general dentists some of his skills and help inner city residents who are often deprived of dental care. "I have seen broken jaws, severe infections and gross neglect," Verdier said. The experience provides a contrast and a reality check for the Sag Harbor resident that first began his days in the Hamptons as a summer visitor.

He is also an Associate Clinical Professor at New York University's School of Dentistry. Verdier spends some of his time in the city working in his office on Crosby Street in the SoHo section. He decided to go out on his own this year after working in private practice in East Hampton. He opened his office in Wainscott in May.

Verdier is a strong believer in community service dating back to his days as a student at Tufts University in Massachusetts where he was Student Body President, a position that led to his decision to become a dentist. The President of Tufts University at the time was a former dentist turned academic. "He told me I should think about going into dentistry," Verdier said. The career choice led him to Harvard University where he did additional course work after he completed his undergraduate work at Tufts. Then, Verdier headed back to Tufts Dental School.

Another factor that contributed to Verdier's decision to pursue dentistry was his father's career as a doctor. "I saw the long hours he worked," Verdier said. Verdier's father is still working as a doctor at Manhattan's Lenox Hill Hospital where he is an anesthesiologist.

Verdier came to the Hamptons as a child lured to the area by his school mate from Rye, N. Y. The family had a home in the Hamptons where they spent the summer. Year later, his friend became a dentist too. Both eventually decided to practice on the South Fork. They hoped they could make it past Labor Day and survive through the winter as they built their separate practices. The aging year-round population combined with an increase in the number of residents opting to retire to the Hamptons has proved fortuitous for both men.

"I love being a dentist," Verdier said as he looked around his office. "I own my own business. I can set my own hours. I can live in a place I love."

This give back guy serves on the Board of Directors of the Evidence Dance Company and enjoys being involved in community affairs. "I've been given so much," Verdier said, "it is only fair that I give back."