Canton Girl to Check Out Gorilla's Smile at Frankin Park Zoo

Canton's Livia Davis, an 11 year-old fifth grader has been selected as the winner of a first-of-its-kind contest: a chance to go behind the scenes to attend an oral hygiene training session for a gorilla at the Franklin Park Zoo!

Last Fall, Dr. Andrew Chase and Dr. Robert Chavez who operate ARCH Orthodontics, announced that every patient who referred a new patient to ARCH by March 31 would be entered in the unusual contest.

“The contest caused a lot of interest,” says Dr. Chavez who founded ARCH 39 years ago. “We had over 100 patients who qualified. The contest had several goals: To raise awareness about the importance of good oral hygiene for all (even animals), about good braces care for Orthodontic patients, and to educate about protecting our environment and wildlife.”

Dr. Chase says attending a gorilla’s oral hygiene training session will be something that Livia will remember for the rest of her life: “It will be especially exciting since she hopes to become a veterinarian.”

On learning that that her daughter was selected, Livia’s mother, Julie, noted Livia’s love of animals. She has two ‘tuxedo’ cats named Coconut and Cappuccino, who Livia helps to feed and cut their nails. She has a hamster named Poky - that the cats are always trying to get. She loves to read fiction and nonfiction - books about animals. She especially likes learning about dogs and wild cats like leopards and cheetahs.

Asked about her braces and Orthodontists, Livia says, “The people at ARCH are the nicest. I’m happy that braces will make my teeth straight. Your smile is your most important feature because it's the first thing people look at, and a smile says a lot about you. So it's important to have nice looking teeth, so you can have a nice smile.”

Livia, who takes jazz and tap dance lessons, likes to change the colors of the elastics on her Orthodontic visits. “I’m excited about meeting a gorilla face-to-face,” she says, gritting her teeth in mock fear.

(ARCH Orthodontics has nine offices in, Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, Hyannis, Hyde Park, Orleans, Randolph, Stoughton, and Westwood, ARCH, the Official Orthodontist of Miss Massachusetts, offers complimentary consultations: 1-800-28- SMILE, emailsmilemaker@archorthodontics.com )