mason c

I don't know that this is pertinent but it came to my mind reading
your post.

Years ago I had a "discomfort" near my jaw joint -- very close to
my ear. I reported this to a dentist. He pulled the wisdom tooth
that was impacted (buried) there. That solved the problem. I can
imagine such a tooth -- buried and/or infected -- causing the
problems you describe.

Just a thought for what it's worth,

Mason C