Tooth fairy's denture venture

25 May 2015 - 02:17 By Poppy Louw

The tooth fairy exists - and he can be found on a pavement. For the past 14 years people have entrusted Isaac Malibogo, 37, with fixing their dentures at his side-of-the-road stall."I've always been good with my hands - all the way from design school in the 1990s. I'm passionate about helping people and this is the best way I know how."Malibogo's skills have taken him to Western Cape, Northern Cape and North West - and earned him the name tandemuis (tooth mouse).Passers-by cannot help but stare at Malibogo's table, which is laden with some of the hundreds of dentures people have given him over the years.He said people offer him their dentures free when they can no longer use them. But not everyone is happy with his presence.A Kimberley doctor recently had him arrested, accusing him of selling the dentures.Though the dentures are only for display, not for sale, people want to buy them."Some people don't care that the false teeth belonged to other people and offered me a lot of money for them, but I don't sell them," said Malibogo.He uses a new pair of gloves and a steriliser for every set of false teeth he handles.Whereas the cost of fixing dentures by a professional ranges from R300 to R1500, the tandemuis charges R80 to repair any kind of problem. It takes Malibogo just under 15 minutes to fix any pair of dentures using a file, a pair of pliers, and special glue and powder that he buys at local pharmacies...

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