Tracy, glad your at a major cancer center. I was treated by an oral surgeon who had a lot of experience with cancer patients and he removed two of my back teeth on the side of the swollen lymph node. One on top and one on the bottom. I am now pursuing repair of them as well as additional work I need done with a dentist who also has a lot of experience with oral cancer. I had a lot of perio problems in my youth and lost a lot of teeth due to bone loss in my 30's. So try to keep as many teeth as you can. It is difficult to eat after treatment with a lot of dental issues.