Katherine,

Welcome to OCF! Very sorry to hear your diagnosis, but the good news is it was found early.

I'm glad you are going for additional opinions. Make a list of questions to ask, and bring someone with you to take notes. The OCF main web pages contain a wealth of information on oral cancer. I found it to be the best source of information on oral cancer.

Dysplasia is a pre-cancerous condition - it could turn into cancer, but it could remain as dysplasia. Clear margins are very important - I don't recall how wide the margin should be, but this is a question you can ask.

Perhaps they are referring to a frozen sections? For more information on this and other biopsy terms, check out:
http://oralcancerfoundation.org/discovery-diagnosis/detailed-biopsy.php

Some doctors recommend having nodes removed even if stage 1. I've been to 4 different ENTs over the years, and had very different recommendations. Mine is a complicated history involving a recurrence and other issues, but I never had any lymph nodes removed and I'm still here!

Wishing you the best!