Wait Times & Access
How long it takes, stated plainly.
Waits for nose and sinus care vary by surgeon and hospital. At Dr. Khetani’s Burlington practice (figures reviewed September 2026), CT-confirmed chronic sinus disease is usually seen within weeks of referral, with surgery, where indicated, typically within about three months; CT-confirmed nasal polyps are assessed within four months under the Canadian Rhinologic Society directory commitment.
Written and reviewed by Dr. Justin Khetani, MD, FRCSC, Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery · Last reviewed
01 / 05
The Practice’s Current Patterns
Dated ranges, not promises.
Access · the insured stream
- Consultation, CT-confirmed chronic sinus disease
- Usually within weeks of referral
- Surgery, where indicated
- Typically within about three months
- Nasal polyps confirmed on CT
- Assessment within four months of referral, under the Canadian Rhinologic Society directory of fellowship-trained rhinologists (opens in a new tab) commitment the practice is listed under
Figures reviewed: September 2026
These are the practice’s current patterns, not promises: your own wait depends on clinical urgency, on what has already been tried, and on hospital scheduling. The office tells you the expected wait when it calls to arrange your consultation.
02 / 05
What Shortens a Wait
A complete referral is a faster referral.
Referrals are triaged by urgency and by what has already been tried. Three things let the office book the right appointment on the first call.
A CT report, if one exists
CT-confirmed disease is what qualifies a polyp referral for the four-month commitment, and it lets sinus referrals be triaged accurately. A CT is not required before referring — the practice arranges imaging when it is needed.
The medication history
What has been tried, at what dose, for how long. Chronic sinus disease is assessed after medical therapy, so a referral that shows it has been tried skips a round of correspondence.
Urgency, marked
One-sided findings, or a condition that is worsening, should be marked urgent on the referral. Urgent referrals are triaged ahead of routine bookings.
03 / 05
Priority is clinical, full stop
Priority is set by clinical urgency and hospital scheduling. Paying a fee never changes a person’s place in line for insured care — that includes the paid cosmetic consultation, which neither speeds up nor slows down an insured assessment or operation. How OHIP coverage works.
04 / 05
While You Wait
If your condition changes.
A wait is set by how things stood when the referral was triaged. If your symptoms worsen while you wait — new one-sided blockage or bleeding, visual change, swelling around an eye, fevers with sinus pain — two things should happen: your physician can update the referral so the office re-triages it, and you can call the office at (905) 639-2244 so the change is on your file. Anything that is an emergency — swelling or redness around an eye with a sinus infection, visual change, a severe headache with fever or a stiff neck — goes to the nearest emergency department, not on a waitlist.
05 / 05
Common Questions
Waits, answered plainly.
It depends on urgency and on what the referral shows. As of September 2026, CT-confirmed chronic sinus disease is usually seen within weeks of referral, and CT-confirmed nasal polyps are assessed within four months under the Canadian Rhinologic Society directory commitment. The office tells you the expected wait when it calls.
Three things: a CT report attached where one exists, the medication history showing what has been tried, and urgency marked where it applies. Each removes a round of correspondence between the office and your physician.
No. Priority is set by clinical urgency and hospital scheduling. Paying a fee never changes a person’s place in line for insured care.
Assessment first. Then the options are yours.
An OHIP-insured assessment begins with a referral from your physician or nurse practitioner. The office contacts you once it is received.