MY journey started with my dentist NOT properly diagnosing an irritated area on my gum near an upper molar, even though I also complained of ear pain. I've wondered "how things might be different now had the dentist" CAUGHT IT then, rather than ignoring it then, and misdiagnosing it again 6 months later and cauterizing it, and misdiagnosing it and cauterizing it again two months after that, when it was a classic presentation. He never did recognize it or even suspect it as cancer. If he had had me return after the first complaint, to be certain that it had healed, and then done a biopsy, it would have prevented 8 months of allowing the cancer to grow uninterrupted, and it would have made my surgery much less destructive. AND, though I am doing quite well and am thankful for that, it does concern me that my chances of metastasis are greater also, because of the length of time the lesion was present.