Northwest Dentistry (Dr. Karen McLean) in Charlottetown | Locations, Category, Services Offered, Prices List, Top Ratings, Prices, Reviews & More

If you’re looking for a new dentist, steer clear of this office. This place was a colossal waste of my time – awful (i.e.; no) service and poor communication.

I’ve just noticed a similar review (from someone who was also visiting as a new patient) and I wish I had seen this before booking an appointment.

Edit: For additional context I think it’s fair I add more information on my experience.

I arrived as a new patient in desperate need of a dental cleaning. I am new to the province and had previously struggled to find a dental clinic which could offer a reasonably time-friendly appointment (most clinics either didn’t answer their phone or had exaggerated wait times, some in excess of 3 months).

Upon arriving I had to sign a form acknowledging that if I were ever 15 minutes late for an appointment I would be dismissed as a patient. This became ironic as I then waited an additional 45 minutes from my scheduled appointment time before being called upon.

When I was finally seated, the dental hygienist said I needed x-rays taken. I told the hygienist I would prefer not to have x-rays taken as 1) I had recent x-rays from a previous dentist which I assume could be requested as part of a patient file transfer, and 2) I didn’t want any additional or unnecessary exposure to x-ray technology.

The hygienist was unsure of what to say so she told me to wait a moment so she could confer with the dentist (presumably the owner) about my request, which seemed simple in nature.

She reappeared about 30 seconds later and told me I would have to reschedule my appointment because the dentist was unavailable. When I said that I had waited 6 weeks for my current appointment, and that I had explicitly stated that I was just looking for a dental cleaning when initially booking the appointment, the hygienist just looked at me sympathetically and offered no further explanation.

After about 6 seconds of processing how strange this was, I told her not to worry about it and left the building.

The icing on the cake was that I had burned a total of 2 hours of my life on this experience.

I hope this is helpful to others!

I somehow stumbled upon Northwest Dentistry the first week it opened (I am patient #17 in their system, if you cross out family, aunts and uncles, I am probably the first in the chair without blood ties) so it still had that ‘new car smell’. And now, four or five years later, it has expanded a bit, but is as fresh as the first visit – the place is absolutely immaculate clean, with the latest design in equipment, and lovely big windows that look onto greenery and trees. More than the equipment though, the staff – from the one holding the drill (Dr McLean) to the reception desk – a great, positive ‘vibe’ from top to bottom. I can honestly say that I actually . . . kind of . . . now look forward to dentist appointments . . . a ridiculous statement that I thought would be never, ever be uttered from this guy. You won’t be disappointed.

Great dentist, but their appointments scheduling is pretty poor. I alongside members of my family all experienced being booked for a filling, arriving on time, being seated… then being told they would reschedule the appointment and sent away. That was after being booked 3 weeks ago.

I can understand that dentistry is a complex thing and you can’t always predict how much time each job will take. But if you’re running behind, have the decency to notify your clients before they make the trip all the way to your office. Some of my family lives 50km away. How’s that for a slap in the face when you arrive to your appointment and then get sent back home?

I’ll continue to book my appointments with Northwest Dentistry, but I’ll leave it at 3 stars until things improve with appointments.