A velvety red lesion is likely an erythroplakia, and those are often dangerous and convert to malignancy if not already so. I would go to the James Cancer Center in Ohio as it has a great reputation. Once there you will be in the hands of the best to definitively decide what it is, and if you have something serious, you will have a team (not a single doctor) telling you what the best course of action is. You will also already be in the best place to get what ever that multidisciplinary team thinks is the best course of action for you.

Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.