[quote=ChristineB]Mia, congrats on your good appointment. Not all leukoplakia will turn into cancer, but some will. I still suggest you be proactive and seek out an experienced ENT who specializes in treating oral cancer patients. Even experienced doctors cant tell just by looking if something is cancerous. They can only give an educated guess. By doing a biopsy, it would give a definitive answer if it is cancerous or not.

Here is more info about leukoplakia...

Leukoplakia info from main OCF pages

More detailed info about Leukoplakia [/quote]

Thank you ChristineB, for the information and for caring. I mentioned getting a second opinion to my dentist. He said "You can, it won't hurt my feelings." for what that's worth. I asked for a referral to an ENT and he said the University Dental School clinic does not refer to specific outside doctors, but I could find one on my own.

After reading these two sources you gave here, I am even more convinced I need a second opinion and a BIOPSY. My dentist said he thought there was no reason to "put me through" a biopsy, since in his opinion the lesion is not dangerous at this time. He would recommend and do one if there are changes of a certain type, like thickening or ulceration. That was about the gist of his opinion.

So I'll report back on my efforts to get a 2nd opinion at an ENT or oral surgeon. Thanks for the encouragement to take it seriously and not be put off, poo-pooed, and made to wait and see how it develops by the dentist.