A North Texas dentist has been arrested on a felony charge after authorities said she performed surgeries on patients while showing signs of intoxication at a pediatric dental office.
Kelly Buck, 36, of Plano, was taken into custody Monday at Pediatric Dentistry of Sherman in the 2800 block of Loy Lake Road. Police responded around noon to a report of an impaired dentist who had been treating patients since the office opened that morning.
“The caller alleged that there was a dentist practicing and showing signs of intoxication,” Sherman police Lt. Sam Boyle said.
Officers found Buck exhibiting visible signs of impairment, and she failed a field sobriety test, Boyle added. She faces a charge of performing surgery while intoxicated, a state jail felony that carries a potential penalty of up to two years in prison if convicted.
Investigators learned Buck was not a full-time employee but a temporary contractor assigned through a staffing agency. As part of the probe, detectives secured a search warrant for a blood draw to determine if the intoxication involved alcohol or drugs, though specifics were not released.
Buck, licensed to practice dentistry in Texas since 2016 with no previous disciplinary issues, was held at the Grayson County Jail and released Tuesday after posting $10,000 bond.