I called my OS again and...

..I'm not much better off than I was before calling but at least it's something. The gist of it is this:

- My original ballpark date was October 2007, and they indeed have me on the list for that time.

- My name in October has already been highlighted to indicate that I can be moved to sometime in the summer.

- The nurse I spoke with also added in an additional note to further indicate that I can be moved to the summer. She said they would try their best but can't make any promises.

- I told her that I would be ready as early as June based on Dr W's comments, but she kind of laughed saying that May is crazy for them and therefore it won't be June. Generally the summer is the busiest time for them.

- She said it would be good to call back in a month so that my name is kept fresh in their minds.

So the reality is that summer + popular surgeon = wait an eternity!

Last year I got lucky with my SARPE schedule because it was in March and also because it's only a short procedure so they were able to fit me in quickly.

Hoping for better news in a few weeks...

Dentistry for the less fortunate

Edit: Looks like the good people of Toronto came though for this guy.

Readers Respond To Man's Plight
Man Amazed by Dental Care Offers

This article was on the front page of the Toronto Star this morning. The whole situation is really unfair and frustrating. My brother is in this situation exactly.

Why Is He Out Of Work?

I'm not sure I totally agree with the article's idea that poverty causes tooth decay. Just because someone is poor doesn't mean their teeth are guaranteed to fall out. Genetics and behaviour have a lot to do with it as well. It's quite possible to have good oral hygiene while unemployed. I understand how one thing leads to another though and how depression might get in the way of good oral habits. Hopefully Canada will begin offering basic care at some point.

I got my mouth washed out with soap!

(Ok, so it wasn't soap, it was more like minty sand paste.)

First off, go look at Amy's site. She just had her upper and genio yesterday and the difference is dramatic!

I went for a hygiene appointment last night. Sheryl was really amazed at the progress I've made, especially the width and shape of my palate. She said she was glad I got referred to Dr W since she knows how good he is. Dr G popped in as usual to have a look and said everything is looking great. I do have one little spot, possibly some decalcification on my peg lateral but he said it wasn't anything to worry about for now since I have good hygiene and the spot isn't sticky. I can't remember but I think that tiny spot may have even been there since before I got braces.

They also asked me about my blog and I told them it was going great and how I've met all of you guys. Sheryl told me she has a friend who is studying to be an orthodontist so she showed it to him. He really liked it because of how much detail I go into. So that's good. I'm glad my decision to write about all of this is helping both me and others. Glad to be part of the larger ortho-surgical community! Some of the web referrals I get on my blog are interesting too. Actually if you use "SARPE braces" in Google you'll see me, Amy, Mia, and Brandy all on the first page of results! Add to that the videos that Jen and I put on YouTube. I guess we're getting high in the Google index. Makes me wonder if I should use AdSense and make some cash. Maybe once I'm done. Ads are annoying.

I'm not seeing a dramatic amount of progress in the last month, but my top wires are starting to poke me at the back again, so I'm back to using a bit of wax. That's usually a good sign that things are moving, but I wonder how much of that was caused by my cleaning last night. I can feel some tingling in my cheeks though, which I usually do when things are moving. I really thought this power chain would be working much faster.