Pain in ears that occur due to TMJ can be a dull, ongoing irritation or it could be a sharp, searing pain that aggravates on movement of the jaw while talking, chewing, yawning or swallowing. It is often accompanied by a clicking sound or grating sensation and it becomes difficult to open mouth. It may also cause minor spasm in facial muscles.
Otitis media is often misdiagnosed and the patient may undergo drug therapy and even surgery when actually a simple repositioning of the jaw would be enough. Again, the involvement of the Tensor Tympani Nerve which is an offshoot of the Trigeminal nerve needs to be noted.