WOW! Andrea, you’ve been through so much & for such a long time. No wonder you’re at the end of your rope. First, I’ll answer the question you posed about how could calcified s-h ligaments cause so many problems.
The stylohyoid ligaments run from the tips of the styloids to the lesser horns of the hyoid bone. When they are not calcified, they move freely during swallowing, speaking, eating, singing, laughing, coughing, etc., and allow the hyoid to move as it needs to. When they calcify, even partially, they begin to become immobilized & then hinder hyoid movement as well. When that happens, muscles, other tendons & ligaments, & fascia get recruited to try to do the work those disabled ligaments used to do. Those new recruits are now doing work they were never intended to do & over time, they affect the surrounding nerves which become more & more irritated & the symptoms their irritation produces is quite diverse & depends on which nerves are affected. In your case it does sound like the trigeminal (teeth, ear pain, face pain, facial (face pain, dry mouth, ear), accessory (neck pain) & vagus (pain at the back of your head, GI issues…) nerves, at the very least, are in an uproar. Along w/ that it also sounds like you have some vascular compression which is resulting in your severe dizziness. This cannot be seen w/o a CT or MRI w/ contrast but can sometimes be detected by a doppler utlrasound. Your jugular vein & internal carotid artery would need to be checked w/ your head in the position that causes the worst dizziness (i.e. the provocative position).
The long-term dry mouth could be the cause of your canker sores as you don’t have the necessary saliva to help dilute the acids & bases in the foods you eat so they are now “eating” the inside of your mouth & thus canker sores result.
Symptoms I have not covered i.e. shaking sensation, rash, etc., can all potentially be explained by the huge amount of trauma your body has suffered from the very irritated cranial nerves & vascular tissues for so many years. Our bodies are built to thrive & survive & do whatever is necessary to try to make that happen. When major things start going wrong, the body can go into overload trying to get rid of the problems it can’t resolve. This can result in all kinds of other unexplainable symptoms, some of which it looks like you may be experiencing.
Below are links to a list of short videos which will help you begin to understand the affects of irritated or damaged cranial nerves. You will have “Aha!” moments as you note the symptoms presented at the end of each one. You should share what you learn w/ your ENT as it will be insightful information for him. I also recommend you read some of the research articles (many links in the Newbies Guide) & share w/ your doctor the ones that contain information relevant to your situation. Removal of the calcified ligaments causing the symptoms is truly the only cure for the problem.
Accessory - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4IgAGuP_Hk
Trigeminal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhbQBrX3Kq0&t=9s
Facial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWGf2tz0D90
Vagus - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-NCs1lOU5w&t=5s
I’m also including the links for info about the glossopharyngeal & hypoglossal nerves as these may also be affected in your case:
Glossopharyngeal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmx8ZYqhGIo
Hypoglossal - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVSR2dDOKh8
Here is a link to some posts made by onelessstyloid that contains links to several research articles you might want to share w/ your ENT: Article in public domain
It is my opinion (I am NOT a doctor) that having your calcified ligament(s) removed will, over time, resolve much of the pain & many of the other symptoms you’re having. I will also make this recommendation: Contact Dr. Samji instead of Dr. Cognetti. Though both doctors are competent ES doctors, Dr. Cognetti very much limits the time he spends on ES & w/ ES patients where Dr. Samji makes them a priority. You’re likely to get a phone consult appointment much more quickly w/ Dr. Samji than Dr. Cognetti, & it sounds like time is of the essence for you now. The quickest way to get ahold of Dr. Samji is to email his medical assistant - lauren@caminoent.com. I know Dr. Samji allows 45 minutes for his phone consults, & I think he charges about $650. I don’t know what Dr. Cognetti charges or how long he spends on a phone consult.
I hope this information is helpful & not too overwhelming. The better educated you are about your body & what can be causing your symptoms, the easier it will be for you to make a decision as to the correct steps toward healing.