A Pennsylvania man was so desperate to help his wife he posted an ad on Craigslist looking for used dentures because they couldn't afford new dentures after hers broke.
The ad is a touching reminder of the deep effects of the current economic crisis. In the ad, Jason Neff of New Oxford, PA, describes a husband's efforts to find a used set of upper dentures for his wife, according to the York Daily Record.
"If anyone out there has a set of upper dentures she can have, we would greatly appreciate it," wrote Neff, who works for a cleaning service. "I can afford to take them in to be relined for her until we can save the money to buy a new set for her."
Neff's wife got the dentures about 15 years ago but then fell on hard times and couldn't afford to get them adjusted correctly. The dentures never fit right but they worked -- with the help of a lot of Poligrip, according to the story.
A couple of years ago, the upper plate broke, but the couple couldn't afford to get it fixed. Neff doesn't work enough hours to qualify for health and dental insurance. And even if he did, he said, insurance is too expensive.
"I could do it if I didn't pay my rent," he told the paper. His wife is on disability and her health coverage doesn't cover much dental care. So he has been patching her dentures together with Super Glue or Duco cement.
The plate, though, deteriorated and it got to the point where he couldn't glue it anymore, he said.
Neff contacted a dental lab and was told they might be able to fix the denture plate. But when the technicians looked at it, they said it was a lost cause and would have to be replaced at a cost of $700 to $1,200.
Neff said he checked around for any dentists or clinics or labs that would work pro bono, but had no luck. That's when he decided to turn to Craigslist.
He placed the ad on August 6 and has received only one bite -- from someone who gave him grief for being lazy, the story said.
"I thought maybe somebody could help," Neff said. "I guess I was wrong about that. Now, I don't know what we're going to do."
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