In photo, Dr. Scharf demonstrates the new laser PerioLase at his office in Babylon Village. Inset, firefighter Scharf. When he’s not in his office in Babylon helping to give people a better smile, he’s bringing smiles to people in other ways. Dr. David Scharf, a dentist and periodontal specialist, enjoys the life of a Renaissance man—in addition to being a dentist, he’s a musician, a teacher, a volunteer firefighter and a writer.

“You get back as much in life as you give,” said Scharf as he sat in his office at 98 E. Main St., Babylon one morning discussing his profession and his varied interests.

Take playing an instrument and being a musician for example. Scharf played drums in high school and then moved on to other things. Years later, he met his Plainedge High School music teacher, Jerry Ricci, and all of the memories about music and its role in his life came flooding back.

But, as he had learned from Ricci, music is not a half-hearted venture. So, Scharf began taking lessons. “He mentored me to become a good drummer,” said Scharf of Ricci. “He is one of those people who helps you dig deep inside yourself to do something better. He’s a wonderful teacher.”

Born in North Massapequa, Scharf attended Plainedge High School and Boston University where he graduated from the university’s dental program. He completed a residency at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, and studied for his specialization, periodontics and dental implants at NYU.

But for Scharf, his dentistry is like his music in that he is always looking to “dig deep inside,” and do things better. At a periodontal conference in California, he saw the next generation of periodontal treatment in the PerioLase laser and it immediately caught his interest.

“As soon as I saw it, and read more about it, I said to myself that if I ever had periodontal disease, this is how I would like to be treated,” recalled Scharf. “Thatled to me working to make sure my patients have that option as well. I wanted the latest technology for them.”

Scharf took special training for the laser, which allows gums to heal better and quicker than with traditional surgery, and brought the first PerioLase lazer to Long Island. “It allows me to insert a fine laser in the spaces between the gum and the tooth and remove the diseased tissue without disturbing the healthy tissue,” said Scharf. “Thenthe laser is inserted again and reattaches the gum and the tooth.”

These days, Scharf is also the member of a band, The Groove Merchants, and practices in Phase I in Farmingdale.

“Music is an emotional release,” he said. “When you are playing an instrument you can’t think of anything else; it’s a wonderful, calming, experience.”

Not so calming, however, is his work with the Ocean Beach Fire Department, where he has been a member for six years. He is on duty during June, July and August and first thought of volunteering following 9/11.

“I always had the idea in the back of my mind, but it came to the forefront following the attacks,” he said. He took the training and works with Fire Rescue.

“Sometimes someone will see me dragging a fire hose down the street and think they recognize me,” said Scharf. “They will call out, ‘Hey, is that you, Dr. Scharf?’ and I just say ‘Yes, it’s me’.”

Despite all he does, Scharf still has time to spend with his wife Karen and their children, Jonathan, 17, Samantha, 14, and Baylee, 10. Theytoo, lead busy lives. Samantha and Baylee are competitive swimmers on Team Suffolk and Jonathan plays lacrosse. Both girls also play the flute. All of the Scharf children seem to have adopted the Scharf philosophy: “You dig deep inside yourself to do something better and you get out of life what you put into it.”

Now, that’s an idea for everyone smile about.