North Texas pediatric dentist faces felony charge for allegedly performing surgery while intoxicated

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SHERMAN, Texas - A North Texas dentist faces a felony charge after police say she performed surgery on a patient while intoxicated Monday morning.

Dentist charged with ‘performing surgery while intoxicated’

Kelly Buck (Sherman Police Department)

What we know:

Sherman police responded to a pediatric dental office in the 2800 block of Loy Lake Road around noon Monday following reports of an impaired dentist. Upon arrival, officers made contact with 36-year-old Kelly Buck.

According to investigators, Buck showed visible signs of intoxication after treating a patient. A representative from the office told FOX 4 that Buck was scheduled to perform multiple treatments that day.

During the first procedure, an assistant noticed the dentist "did not seem to be herself." Although Buck had only worked at the office a few times prior, staff noted that her physical symptoms were different than previous visits. When the office manager confronted Buck, she reportedly claimed she was "perfectly fine."

Out of caution, the manager instructed the team not to call Buck for any further operative appointments or hygiene exams before contacting police to conduct a field sobriety test.

Police said Buck failed the sobriety tests and was taken into custody. Office officials confirmed she treated only one patient Monday morning.

Buck was arrested and charged with performing surgery while intoxicated, a state jail felony. She was transported to the Grayson County Jail.

"We look forward to clearing her name"

The other side:

Buck’s attorney, Matt Hamilton, sent a statement to FOX 4 maintaining his client's innocence.

"We feel confident the blood results will show there were no drugs or alcohol in her system," Hamilton said. "We look forward to clearing her name and hopefully allowing her to move past this unfortunate business and go back to living her normal life."

Dig deeper:

Investigators determined Buck was not a permanent employee of the dental practice. She was working as a temporary contractor through a large dental staffing agency. 

The dental office noted that Buck had filled in at the practice before and was invited back because of her previous performance.

The investigation remains ongoing.