My jaw swells and hurts whenever I eat. Should I see a dentist?

Yes. Swelling and pain under the jaw at every meal suggests a salivary stone blocking a salivary duct, so you should be examined. The characteristic pattern is that saliva produced while eating backs up behind the blockage, causing swelling and pain that settles some time after the meal. We locate the stone with imaging; small stones sometimes pass with plenty of fluids and salivary gland massage, while larger ones are removed by an oral surgeon. However, if the swelling does not settle and comes with fever or pus, it may have progressed to a salivary gland infection, so come in quickly.