You are all so kind, thank you for your responses. Alex had his surgical consult yesterday afternoon, and thankfully the surgeon thinks it's completely beneign. He thinks that they will even be able to remove it under a local anesthesia!

My eyes really have been awakened in regards to watching out for this, and I am grateful. A large number of the people I love smoke, and I will make sure they know some of the warning signs and to talk to their dentists about checking. It would be better if all quit - but at least they can have the information to be more aware of what it's doing to their health.

Best to you all, I appreciate all the responses, it allowed me to have a calm attitude with the surgeon yesterday.

Amy