I used to swell too when i got injected at the dentist. i later found out that im allergic to the sulfa based numbing agents. something to look into :)

It's unethical for a dentist to treat his own (step)daughter...

@130: There are fewer ethical implications in a dentist treating a family member than a doctor/physician such as a surgeon treating a family member. While I don't know the statistics for dentists, I know that at least 80% of all doctors have somehow been involved in a family member's treatment (prescriptions, diagnosis, primary care, and/or performing surgery on a relative -- the last done by 9% of doctors). There are manuals on ethics that advise doctors against treating a family member, primarily as the doctor then has authority over the family member and because the doctor may lose their sense of objectivity and may not be able to distance him/herself emotionally. Then there are, of course, relatives who don't take a doctor seriously. I have not found similar manuals on ethics suggesting dentists do not treat relatives (besides the obvious, such as not prescribing medications for conditions not relevant to dental treatment). Dentistry does not often involve surgery (extraction, implantology) or another procedure that would cause the dentist to remain unbiased and emotionally lose it. The risk of dying from dental treatment, as opposed to any invasive surgery (appendix removal, heart bypass, C-section), is negligible. Most deaths related to dental treatment don't occur as a result of the procedure, but as a result of carelessness or error on the part of the anesthesiologist -- dental procedures are not life-threatening, unless general anesthesia is used.

He hit the nerve wrong. The next time I got numb, I didn't have a reaction

I think that fillings hurt much more than braces. My braces made my teeth ache for a day after I got them and after tightening a, but fillings were sharp pain.

I've had both. Fillings definitely hurt me worse than braces.