For the past 3 weeks, I have had pain when chewing or biting down in my right ear and in that part of my jaw just below the temple. My dentist and orthodontist have said my jaw is disaligned in the past (I look normal though), but I have never had pain. My back molars do not touch when I bite, and my front teeth bite right together with no overbite at all. However, the pain has just now come and seems worse when I sleep on my face funny. Sometimes it is so bad that it is difficult to eat. When I grab the left side of my jaw and slide it right, the right side/TMJ hurts in the same way as it does when i bite down. Pushing the jaw the other way produces no pain.
I am concerned because I also have a funny "feeling" in my right ear that has accompanied this jaw pain. My ear canal feels "cool" and like there is liquid or wax in it, but when I put my finger in it, there is nothing. Also, sometimes I get a werid and sudden throbbing on the inside of my ear drum that almost feels like I have water in it. My hearing in that ear is not affected.
Besides the pain that isn't going away, I'm worried that it may be being caused by a tumor or something other than standard TMJ disorder. Is this possible or likely concerning my symptoms? I am going to an ENT next week, but was hoping you could provide me some perspective about TMJ disorder and if you think that that's what's causing my problems. Thank you