Hi Jeff,
just to reiterate what Mark said, we are not trying to scare the crap out of you, just to insure diligence and thoroughness (we wish we COULD scare the crap out of Eric from Arizona :p ).

On a more serious note, I had many health care professionals in my mouth for months before I got an accurate Dx and it is very likely that it had a major effect on my staging. I am not the only one here that this has happened to.

Since oral cancer is not the kind of disease that EVER gets better on its own, we always tend to advise the most accurate and early diagnosis possible by the most qualified individuals (if at all possible at a comprehensive cancer center). It is the best life insurance policy there is. On ALL of the cancers showing statistical survival improvement, early detection and intervention was the key. This is why Brian has a major educational effort going on in the dental industry.

Brian could use your support as well. At this time this site is self funded by contributions from its members. So keep this in mind when making charitable donations -the life that gets saved here may be a loved one or even your own.