First of all, when it comes to the field of dentistry, I will always defer to Brian. He's worked most of his life in the dental implant industry, has lectured throughout the world on the subject, and has, no doubt, rubbed shoulders with the "creme de la creme" of the dental community, so his credentials on the subject are not open to question.

Second, I agree with him that I used the word "restorative" inappropriately in the above post. I meant something akin to "cosmetic" or "elective". The oral surgeon was simply saying he did not wish to deal with a pathological process, like cancer.

I am certainly not here to disparage the dental profession in any way. My experience with both my dentist and the oral surgeon who biopsied my tongue has been a positive one. I was never the victim of "benign neglect" on the part of my dentist. Rather, I was the victim of my own ignorance and inaction, as I allowed 4 months to pass before seeing my dentist about the sore
on my tongue.

I don't view this as an argument about the relative worth of dentists vs. doctors. Both are (or should be) allies in the prevention and treatment of disease. And both have an important role to play in managing our personal health care. The question is: What is that role?

The fact is that doctors, by virtue of their extensive and intensive training, view the human body as an integrated whole. Although most will eventually specialize (e.g. surgery, dermatology, psychiatry), they will all endure several grueling years of medical school that will expose them to the intricacies of all the major organ systems. Even during their residency, when they begin to branch off in different directions, they are still required to perform 6-month rotations in specialties other than their own.

Dentists, however, are specialists from Day One. The focus of dentistry is the human oral cavity and its surrounding structures. And while they also take courses in anatomy, physiology, etc., the bulk of their training centers around a relatively small piece of the body's real estate. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not the best training for dealing with systemic disease.

And I happen to believe that cancer is a systemic disease. No matter how localized the primary lesion may be, the body, mind and soul is under attack, and remains vulnerable to further attack. I have no doubt that an oral surgeon may have the technical prowess to disassemble my face and piece it back to together. But I want a doctor who can see beyond my oral cavity, who
can order up diagnostic tests, interpret those tests, and make sound clinical judgements about the disease's effect on me as a whole.

Obviously, many patients have been successfully diganosed and treated for oral cancer by dentists and oral surgeons. And just because ENTs have an MD degree doesn't make them gods, or any less fallible than the rest of us. As Brian indicated above, he was misdiagnosed by an ENT. On the other hand, there are 2 replies in the "Introduce Yourself" section, under "See a doctor, not a dentist" which express doubts about dentists' ability to detect cancer. (The oral surgeon who biopsied my tongue remained certain I did not have cancer, even after excising the tissue.)

So, in Michelle's case, she is already seeing an oral surgeon, and is having some concerns about his treatment plan (or lack thereof). Rather than spending too much time at this level of expertise, or hopping from one oral surgeon to another, I think she'd be wise to consult an ENT, who not only specializes in diseases of the throat, but has the broader perspective that comes with a medical school background and many years (we hope) of clinical experience.