Welcome to the Cosmetic and Implant Dental Center

By Bill Stone

The BigPigGig is all a grin with the release of Pig-sure Perfect Smile into Cincinnati's beloved pigpen.

Included in the swine art in the Greater Porkopolis area, Pig-sure Perfect Smile is the shoat of The Cosmetic and Implant Dental Center of Cincinnati. Getting a glimpse of Pig-sure Perfect Smile is easy. Look no further than your, er, snout, and travel just a hog's call away to Newport, Kentucky.

All told, there are about 400 pigs rooting through Cincinnati, Newport, and ovington. The pigs will remain through October, then most will be sold at auction in November, with proceeds going to charities, including the event sponsor, Artworks.

AmbassaPig

This smiling swine will lord over the World Peace Bell and the Newport Aquarium, two of the region's busiest tourist attractions. Visitors will no doubt bust out into miles of smiles when they take in the sight of this adorable 4-by-4 fiberglass pig.

Doctors Jack Hahn, Greg Sherman, Jack Benmayor of Cosmetic and Implant Dental Center jumped at the idea to get involved with the BigPigGig to support education and teenage job opportunities in the Cincinnati area. Their support of the arts, artistic outlook on their profession of creating beautiful smiles, and their senses of humor are behind the quirky porker.

Philanthropy

Dr. Sherman said that philanthropy through art "is a really cool idea" that will no doubt draw attention and support in the community. He was so excited about the pig that he displayed the undecorated sculpture on his Montgomery lawn until their commissioned artist could take possession and work her magic.

"We are really excited about our pig; it seemed like the natural thing to do," Dr. Sherman said. "The kids in the neighborhood loved it too."

Creating Smiles

"The Big Pig Gig was a great fit for us because it's a great cause, it's fun, and it involves art, which is how we see our work," said Dr. Sherman, who indeed describes the process of rehabilitating smiles with the passion of an artist. "We create smiles with our work and we decided to spread smiles with our pig."

Doll Maker Turns to Pork

Enter Anne Hesse-Mayer, a nationally known doll maker from Daphne, Alabama. Hesse-Mayer's dolls have been featured in the television series "Central Park West" and the film "Grumpier Old Men," as well as the books "Anatomy of a Doll" and "Designing the Doll," by Susanna Oroyan. She is also a two-time participant in the White House Christmas Collection of American Artists.

Hesse-Mayer, a native of Cincinnati, along with sister-in-law Kathy Mayer, of Montgomery, have about 200 hundred hours of blood, sweat, and squeals in making Pig-sure Perfect Smile the stylish swine she is.

The meticulous handiwork on Pig-sure Perfect Smile is immediately apparent. In addition to the usual sanding, priming and painting, the sisters-in law glued almost each bead individually to the now sequined sow.

Pigappeal

"The various beads give this pig great presence," Hesse-Mayer said. "It took a lot of time, but the beads really make her stand out."

In a seated position, its body pigment is pink, which serves as a canvas for the explosion of colors and textures of the decorations. Pig-sure Perfect Smile is adorned with colorful beads, and toothy smiles all over its body, surrounded by sets of lips Mick Jagger would admire. Her face, ears, hooves, and tail are styled with white, green, peach, purple, and pink beads, similar to the ceremonial garb of an elephant in some Asian cultures. The beaded smiling lips on Pig-sure Perfect Smile's body are peach, purple, and pink.

To top it all off, the dental office staff lab got into the act and created a set of upper choppers for Pig-sure Perfect Smile's mouth that look like they are right out of a Jerry Lewis movie. It's hilarious and extends a warm welcome to anyone who ambles by.

Art Works

The result is a piece of art that produces an instant, natural, and honest reaction from viewers: A picture-perfect smile.