A North Texas dentist is facing a state jail felony after staffers called police and accused her of performing surgery while intoxicated. The dentist’s attorney says bloodwork will clear his client’s name.
Sherman Police said they were notified by the dentist’s office off Loy Lake Road on Monday that they suspected Kelly Buck was possibly intoxicated while with her first patient of the afternoon.
Wednesday Pediatric Dentistry of Sherman posted a letter to its Facebook page notifying patients of the “difficult situation.”
The letter explains Buck was a temp dentist contracted through dental placement platform Cloud Dentistry. She’d temped in the office before.
According to the statement…
“During the first dental treatment, the registered assistant noticed that the dentist didn’t seem to be herself…
The assistant noticed a couple of physical symptoms that appeared different than the last time she was in the office…
An office manager “instructed the team not to call the dentist into any additional operative appointments or hygiene exams…” before calling Sherman Police.
Sherman Police said when they met with Buck, they observed signs of intoxication and performed a field sobriety test. She was then arrested for performing surgery while intoxicated, which is a state jail felony under the Texas Occupations Code.
Grayson County Sheriff’s OfficeGrayson County Sheriff’s Office
Kelly Buck
Investigators obtained a search warrant for a specimen of Buck’s blood as part of the investigation.
Buck’s attorney told NBC 5 on Wednesday, “Mrs. Buck is not guilty of the charges she was arrested for. She has been a licensed dentist since 2016 and takes treating her patients very seriously. She looks forward to the blood results, as it will show that no drugs or alcohol were in her system. I anticipate that will clear her name so she can go back to taking care of her patients.”
Buck was transported to the Grayson County Jail. She has since bonded out.
NBC 5 found one dental license with the name Kelly Buck through the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners. That license includes a license for Minimal Sedation for Anesthesia. There are no disciplinary actions on record.
In its letter to patients, Pediatric Dentistry of Sherman went on to say… “We are deeply saddened and troubled over this situation, and we are extremely concerned that this negatively impacted a valued patient. We will continue to fully cooperate with authorities to ensure appropriate action is taken.”
Cloud Dentistry CEO and Co-Founder, Trey Tepichin issued a statement:
“Cloud Dentistry cannot comment on the alleged conduct as it’s currently under investigation. Cloud Dentistry is a matching platform and does not engage in the practice of dentistry. Dental professionals are independent contractors on the Cloud Dentistry platform and are responsible for their own malpractice insurance and patient care. All Cloud Dentistry users, including the user in question, have passed a background check. The user in question has been suspended from the platform pending a more thorough investigation.”