So sorry for your current challenges, Snapple! I hope your preferred ENT agrees w/ your assessment of the MRI results & some progress can be made toward a diagnosis & treatment. 
I had a follow up with my oral surgeon yesterday for my dental implant that I had installed in September where I received a CT scan of the oral area which also shows my styloid. I asked for copies because I was interested to see how the styloid had changed since I had the surgery. You can see it has been shortened, but it also looks like it has been fractured. I’m not sure if that is just a distortion of the image somehow or if that is what it actually looks like in my head. I don’t understand how it would just be suspended there. It will be a question I have for the ENT who performed my surgery when I follow up with him in about a week.
As far as symptom resolvement, I weaned off of the gabapentin so I could see where I am at with the pain. The throbbing pain I had over my front left teeth has gone away for the most part, the pain signal is different and it’s very mild… Jaw pain has been minimal now that I am 3 weeks post op. I had some cheek pain yesterday but it’s not presenting this morning yet. I haven’t ruled out completely that some of my pain is from me clenching my teeth at night but I also have in the back of my mind that some of this pain could be caused by the remaining styloid. But the pain is nowhere near where it was so just trying to stay positive for now.
It does look like it’s been fractured, I agree…we have heard of surgeons doing this before, fracturing the styloid & leaving the piece(s) in, but it’s not good as the piece left in can still cause inflammation & injure nerves etc. I would definitely want to ask the ENT about that, it’s good that you’ve seen an improvement in symptoms though. If this is the case you may need corrective surgery with someone more experienced in the future…
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My story is almost identical to yours, I had what I was told was a neoplasm growth that needed to be biopsied during a tonsilectomy. Found out during surgery that it was the styloid process poking through my throat. Surgeon had never seen it before, and shaved off some of the process, and sutured over it..suturing the back of my tongue to my soft pallette. He left my right tonsil intact because he had me under anesthesia for so long trying to figure out what to do. He didn’t do a follow up, and instead told me to email a picture of my throat that is pulled way down on one side because of the sutures, only to be told it was normal. When I tried to insist that I have an in person appt. was told to stop being so “hysterical”. I guess advocating for yourself is considered “hysterical” by some doctors. I am left with all of the same symptoms that I was having when I made the initial appt months before surgery. Worse in fact. I can feel the bone underneath my jaw, and it is painful to the touch. I have had no succuss trying to find an ENT near me that even knows what eagles is. Extremely frustrated. I’m currently trying to get in to see one of the doctors on the list found on this website…hoping beyond hope for some help with this. Good luck to you…it’s quite the journey!
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@Kristak - This is an old discussion thread from 2021 so you may not get a response from @Nomoretonsils37.
Your situation sounds HORRIBLE & worthy of being called malpractice in my mind. YIKES!! I wonder if the section of your throat that was sewn to the back of your tongue can be detached so things can be more normal back there again? I could feel my styloid under the left side of my jaw, too, & it was painful to touch it as well so I can relate to that part of your story.
Dr. Todd & Dr. Breeze both do ES surgeries if there is no IJV compression. Dr. Breeze might also do IJV decompression, but we mostly hear about Dr. Hepworth doing those.