I had Bell's Palsy when I was about 12 or 13. Mine was caused from an ear infection that began to infect the bone near my left ear. They ended up having to remove the bone (I believe it was the mastoid). Took me into surgery at 1am and didn't get out until 5am. As long as he has been to a doctor to get checked out I'm sure he'll be fine. Growing up I had such a high threashold for pain that no one ever knew I had an ear infection until it was really bad. That's how I ended up with it. I guess there isn't any real help in my post but I figured I'd share my experience.