Malcolm Pediatric Dentistry - Belvidere (IL)

5 /5 Sara Hartigan: I cannot say enough good things about Malcolm Pediatric Dentistry. They have been nothing short of amazing when working with both my sons! Dr. Malcolm is honest, gentle, and has AWESOME bedside manner with my very young boys (2 & 4). My oldest needed some major work. He was in OT for years for sensory issues. My expectations were exceeded all around. I couldn’t imagine taking my boys anywhere else. Our previous experiences with another pediatric dentist doesn’t even compare. My son was terrified of the dentist previously. Now he asks to go! The man and his staff are AMAZING.

1 /5 Sarah Moe: If I could give zero stars I would. I took my 6-year-old to see Dr. Malcolm. She does not like talking to people she doesnt know (she has seen the same doctor for 6 years, loves him, but wont talk to him). Dr. Malcolm refused to let me hold her hand or stand by her because she was whimpering and wont talk to her. He was unbelievably abrasive with a child he knows nothing about. Without knowing her medical history he said he couldnt do a couple fillings and crowns in office and she would have to go under. The office also refuses to submit the claim to insurance and said I would have to do it myself. I was so uncomfortable and put off by the whole experience I started asking around. One coworker said if she didnt have her kid out under anesthesia for a procedure she was a bad parent. Another coworker said he told her he doesnt want to deal with procedures unless the child is under anesthesia. I dont understand how you can be a pediatric dentist but not want to deal with children. Needless to say, we went somewhere else for a second opinion. They have been wonderful. They broke her appointments into separate settings so insurance would cover the whole procedure instead of paying $1600+ out of pocket like I would have if Dr. Malcolm did the procedure. She cried when I told her she had another dentist appointment after she saw Malcolm. Now, after 3 filling procedures and one more to go, she loves the dentist and keeps asking when she can go back. I will never recommend anyone go to Dr. Malcolm and I even encourage those who do see him to go elsewhere and see how wonderful your children can be treated elsewhere.

1 /5 Beth Cunningham: Im fairly disappointed in my sons appointment today (May 21st, 2024). It was going well at first... My son was doing good, the dental assistant was patient with my son and she didnt say a word about me holding my sons hand to comfort him, however, the "vibes" felt really off.. it felt very judgemental in the back room. My son said prior to going in "mommy, I dont like the dentist. I dont want to go" I only enforced it because of kindergarten requirements. The last time we were here, before today, it went pretty good. Then, Dr. Malcolm walked in and I was holding my sons hands because he was SCARED! He told my son "let go of your moms hand, place them on your stomach, you dont need to hold her hand." Who does he think he is telling my son that he cant hold his moms hand?! He is FIVE. If he wants to hold my hand for comfort, he can. Ill be damned if that ever happens again. But it wont, because I will never be back with my kids. Oh, and let me not forget, he was asking me about doing X-rays for my son, typically I would say yes because I know they need to be done eventually, but I couldnt. My son was clearly overwhelmed and scared. But I was not about to let that man take X-rays over my son especially if he wouldnt allow him to hold my hand. He then, tried to change my mind and not being respectful at all. I explained to him "as his mother, I will protect my son. I can clearly see that he is overwhelmed and scared, so no, that will not happen today." But he still tried to change my mind, luckily he just shut up after a few times of trying to convince me. If he wouldve "allowed" my son to hold my hand while just looking at his teeth, then sure he couldve done X-rays, but the pure disrespect from him and the judgemental vibes from his staff, I was absolutely not going to make my son stay there any longer than needed. I look forward to finding a new dentist with more respect for the parents and their YOUNG children.

5 /5 Nettie Weber-Hartel: My 3 kids have been at Malcolm for many years. My kids enjoy both him and the staff there, tremendously- Highly professional and nice. One of my kids has some very sensitive issues and he was super respectful and discreet about discussing those issues and how he could still be the best dentist for my child. Nothing has ever been upsold to us as a service or treatment, either; He has just been a partner in keeping my kids teeth cavity -free for years and has referred us on to specialty if theres anything out of his wheelhouse. Definitely a 5 star business.

1 /5 Sara Kaszczuk: They were so horrible they dont even deserve one star. My daughter and I had the same horrible experience with Dr. Malcolm as several other negative reviews. My 4 year old daughter went in for her first check-up and everything went fine. Dr. Malcolm said she needed several cavities filled and an infected tooth pulled. They couldnt get her in for several months. When I called to schedule her visit, I told them we were only going to have the infected tooth pulled. When I took her in today they had everything set up for the tooth to be pulled and several cavities filled. When I informed Dr. Malcolm we would only be pulling the infected tooth he questioned my decision several times than agreed to take just the tooth. One of the dental hygienists was not helping to comfort my daughter and told her in a short tone she needed to "Calm down." I immediately told her to leave and they had another dental hygienist come in. They were in a rush to get my child in and out. When I questioned if my daughter was numb enough to have the tooth removed at that time he became upset with me and said this is why we like to put them under. Dr. Malcolm was downright rude and unprofessional. As soon as he found out he wouldnt be making more money from my daughters appointment he quickly changed his attitude towards me. I will be taking my daughter to a new dentist. I will never take her back and no one else should take their child either.