Police in Sherman, Texas, received an unusual call on Monday: a dentist was treating patients under the influence of alcohol. Arriving at the office, the police noticed that Kelly Buck was indeed showing visible signs of intoxication while she was working on a child. She failed a sobriety test and had already treated a patient before the police showed up.
The 36-year-old dentist worked as a temporary practitioner in this office, via the Cloud Dentistry platform, which connects doctors and establishments. A dental assistant quickly noticed that Kelly Buck did not seem to be herself and informed the manager, who called her to account. Although Buck assured that she was “perfectly well”, the manager preferred to alert the police, tells KXII.
She denies the accusations
“This matter is very serious, for the patient (…) and for the entire medical practice. We are therefore grateful to have been warned and to have been able to prevent this dangerous situation from continuing,” responded Lieutenant Sam Boyle. “We are deeply saddened and concerned by this situation, and we are very concerned that this has affected a valuable patient,” said Pediatric Dentistry, which thanked the parents of the child concerned for their cooperation.
Kelly Buck was booked into the Grayson County Jail and posted $10,000 bail. A sample of his blood was taken. A dentist who has been fired since 2016, she denies the accusations: “Ms. Buck is not guilty of the charges. She takes the care of her patients very seriously and waits for the blood results to prove that no drugs or alcohol were in her system,” her lawyer said. Cloud Dentistry has suspended the practitioner’s account. The investigation continues.
Joëlle Mermoud (joc) has been a journalist at 20 minutes since 2009. She covers international news, with a weakness for unusual stories.
