Dentist thinks a sore on my tongue might be cancer: What next?

Hi there everyone! I am a 62 yr old female with a history of heavy drinking and smoking along with smoking marijuana. I have a sore on the side of my tongue that is red with white edges. I have a sore throat that won’t go away, earache, it hurts to swallow and my glands hurt right under my neck. I have new white sores on the back of my throat that the oral surgeon hasn’t even seen yet. The dentist said the sore could be cancer and the oral surgeon wants to cut it off, not even bothering to biopsy. I am so scared and my insurance will take 60-90 days to approve this. How on earth did you all handle the not know and what do you think about my symptoms?
Crystal