Who is the best type of specialist to see if you have a suspicion of oral cancer?

Dentist/Oral Surgeon: Start with your dentist. Some dentists are more comfortable with diagnosis of oral cancer than others, and often it depends on the site. Ex: i will do biopsies in my office, but i won't biopsy the tongue or floor of the mouth (under the tongue) because there are a lot of very large blood vessels there...So i let a specialist do those. Your dentist can refer you to a specialist if needed.

General dentist: If you suspect you may have oral cancer, go to your general dentist first. Have him or her take a look at the area and see what they think. If it looks suspicious to your dentist, he will then do a biopsy or refer you to an oral surgeon for a biopsy. A biopsy is where a small piece of the tissue is removed and sent to a lab for analysis. The oral surgeon will proceed with treatment from there.

See Dentist ASAP: The other doctors have done a great job of answering your question. The only thing i would ad is early detection is the key! please go to a dentist who has some information about oral cancer on their web site or check out - www.Oralcancerfoundation.Org for a recommendation to a dentist who has experience with oral cancer.

Oral surgeon: An oral surgeon is the best choice. They tend to the most experienced in dealing with pathology and in how to biopsy and eventually treat it properly.

ENT specialist : An ENT physician is well trained in all aspects of head and neck cancer. Some ENT doctors (especially those at major teaching facilities) only see head and neck cancer patients.

Oral cancers: Are best screened by dentists and orro-maxillofacial surgeons. The oral cavity can be seen directly. The oropharynx, hypopharynx and nasopharynx need scopes and ENT doctors. A careful exam of the neck is also in order.

First see Dentist: I would recommend seeing your dentist first, as they can determine if a biopsy is warranted or not. They will then likely send you to an oral maxillofacial surgeon (omfs) for consultation and biopsy or removal. Depending on the diagnosis, you may or may not need further intervention. If you need further surgery, you will likely see omfs or ENT for that.