In Annapolis, the mountain moving began today in the form of patients needing dental care. And the movement continues tomorrow at the Stanton Center. Neil Sullivan, a local oral surgeon, and Jim Turner, Stanton Center director, identified a need and a solution some time ago.

Jim and the center served people of limited means in the greater Annapolis area who need dental care with continuity. Neil had the skills, the drive and the access to resources necessary to meet the need. The result is an exemplary two-chair clinic staffed by volunteer dentists, hygienists, assistants and office staff.

Unfortunately, two chairs just can't handle the area's need.

Enter communities that share beliefs, values, concerns and a desire to help. The first community is the community created by marriage.

Crownsville couple Denny Byrne and Nancy Ward have shared all these communal traits in their long-lived marriage, but their community has an added dimension - they are both dentists and shared a practice in their professional lives. The couple reached dentistry by different routes. Denny decided on dentistry in fourth grade.

First, like most kids, he wanted to be a fireman, then a scientist, a chemist and, finally, a dentist. He enjoyed good childhood dental health so the most he endured with his dentist was some poking around in his mouth.

Besides, his dentists wore cool golf clothes and played lots of golf.

He persisted and graduated from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. While there, he met a bright dental student named Nancy Ward who had been a dental hygiene student, but the faculty saw greater potential and urged her toward dental school.

Marriage, family and dental practice made life good, but for Denny, not great. His practice was successful, but he wanted more.

He wanted a more gratifying relationship with his patients. He wanted to be technically on the cutting edge, and he wanted a better-organized practice.

Enter the second community: the Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education. Founded by Dr. L.D. Pankey, the institute's mission is to train practicing dentists in latest innovations and, uniquely, to help dentists create balance in their practices.

Denny was seeking balance. He attended first, then Nancy joined him shortly thereafter. The courses deal with technique, patient relations, office organization and finance, and Aristotle - work, play, love and worship.

With this new dimension in their practice, the dental duo traveled to Romania providing care in a makeshift clinic funded by U.S. churches.

Today, they return to work in one of Eastern Europe's most modern dental clinics funded by those churches. When their own church, Bay Area Community Church, decided to do a dental day in Annapolis, they were on the front lines of yet another community, and their first connection with the Stanton Center.

Three dentists plus church and center volunteers spent the day seeing patients. They could be efficient and effective in their work because of the community of volunteers at the center, so much so that in planning this weekend's event, the institute abandoned plans to work in Baltimore because of the facility and support in Annapolis.

Working in the dental clinic, Cheryl Parrella, Stanton office manager, and Suzanne Herr, a dental assistant, make sure that the patients are seen in a timely manner and maintain records for continuity of care, not just tooth-yanking.

The collateral impact of the institute has been a nationwide network of alumni who support their profession, each other and their communities. A community of area dentists, some of whom are Pankey alums, are providing the care today and tomorrow.

Many of them not only volunteer at the center but also have the patients come to their practices for additional care. Fabiana Offit, John Benkovitch, David Mugford, Gary Goodman, Fedra Witting, Vernon Sheen, Brenda Rivera, Anthony Falciano, Albert Lee, Deborah Odell, Ashley Orchard and Neal Kanangra are working with Denny, area host and Pankey teacher, and Nancy, institute trustee, and other dentists from the region on the "Dental Days."

One last community will join them: students. Dental, hygiene and dental assistant students will get real-time clinic experience.

They are working with the two Stanton dental chairs and 10 additional dental units mobilized and delivered by another Pankey alum, Keith Phillips of Winston-Salem. He has done 20 of these days on his own, and, just this week, after an event in Atlanta, won approval to set up nine more across the country.

Last night another group of volunteers placed the mobile units in the center's dental area and gym to be ready for Annapolis' Pankey Dental Access Days.

With all these communities coming together so seamlessly, Denny has only one big worry. Making sure everyone feels that his or her time is well-used.

Everything was set by midweek. The Stanton staff scheduled about 170 patients. He estimates that ultimately 98 percent of the patients will come from Stanton clientele from throughout the Annapolis area.

Doing a little mental math, Denny figured that the time of all these volunteers - nine hours per day - multiplied by two days will yield nearly $1 million worth of free dentistry.

It won't end Saturday.

These professionals are quiet volunteers giving away their services on a regular basis. Some patients needing follow-up care may find themselves in the office of one of these dedicated professionals.

After this Saturday, the mountain of backlog patients at the center won't be much more than an anthill.

These many communities that came together to fill a community need will have helped prove a model the Pankey Institute will take nationwide.

Send your Crownsville news to elaine@nagey.com.