As one of the many dentists practicing in what’s known as the Piedmont Triad – that part of North Carolina that includes the cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point, among others – you know how much time, effort, and expense you have put into earning your dental license from the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners. Your license gives you the privilege to practice dentistry in the state and is the key to your career and your livelihood.
That is why if you are notified that someone has filed a misconduct complaint against you, it is vital that you take immediate action to protect your rights and defend your license. Losing your license or having it suspended can ruin your career, and even less-serious sanctions can be noted by members of the public who may decide to take their dental care elsewhere because of their concerns about either your skills or your ethics. Contact the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team for help. We can be reached at 888.535.3686 or by submitting our online contact form. We will schedule a confidential consultation where you can tell us about the allegations made against you, and we can explain how we will help.
Dentists in the Piedmont Triad
With more than 1.7 million residents and a growing population, the Piedmont Triad has hundreds of dentists who are able to provide care in a wide range of practice settings. The profession pays well; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, dentists in this region make more than three times the average annual income for all professions that the BLS tracks in the area. Because it is a relatively high-paying profession, the consequences of losing the ability to practice it due to disciplinary sanctions are more severe. It can be very difficult for a dentist whose license has been suspended or revoked to find another job that pays as well.
And it’s not like you can hide the fact that you’ve been publicly disciplined, even in cases where your license is not suspended or revoked. The Board of Dental Examiners will note in your online license records whether any Board action has been taken against you, and anybody can search for you by name to check on the status of your license. The Board also maintains a list of recent actions it’s taken against Dentists, which makes it even easier for the public (including local news organizations) to learn about the discipline you’ve faced.
Here’s the thing – patients have choices when it comes to dentists. If you have a disciplinary record and another nearby dentist does not, patients may choose that other dentist simply because of that fact. This is why you need to take steps to protect yourself, even if you believe the allegations made against you are minor and will not result in serious sanctions. From a patient’s perspective, any mark against you is a bad mark.
The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team can help. Our attorneys help licensed professionals, including dentists, protect their licenses when they have been accused of misconduct. License disciplinary proceedings are different than court proceedings. Our attorneys are familiar with how they work, and when it comes to disciplinary investigations and proceedings coming from North Carolina’s Board of Dental Examiners, we are ready to use our experience to help you protect your license and your future.
Disciplinary Actions Against Dentists in the Piedmont Triad
Whether your practice is in Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem, Asheboro, Thomasville, or another town in the Piedmont Triad, you can be disciplined by the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners if someone accuses you of the kinds of misconduct that the Board regulates. The Board is guided by North Carolina’s Dental Practice Act, and the focus of the Board’s concerns is on protecting the health and welfare of the state’s citizens.
Some of the types of misconduct that can result in Board sanctions include:
-
Negligent or incompetent practice, including malpractice
-
Deceiving patients in any way in connection with your practice
-
Practicing dentistry while under the influence of alcohol or drugs
-
Improperly prescribing medicine (including narcotics) to patients or others who are not patients
-
Falsely claiming to be a specialist in a type of dentistry that requires specific training when, in fact, you do not have that training
-
Failing to supervise dental hygienists or assistants who work under your direction
-
Maintaining unsanitary dental treatment facilities or using unsanitary techniques when treating patients
-
Convictions for certain crimes, particularly those that may relate to the practice of dentistry
-
Any violations of the Dental Practice Act
While the Board of Dental Examiners can discipline dentists for a wide range of misconduct, the scope of its jurisdiction is not unlimited. The Board, for example, will typically not pursue situations where the complaint is that the dentist or one of the dentist’s employees was rude to a patient, or where there is a billing dispute that does not involve allegations of fraud or deceit.
That said, when a complaint does appear to allege matters that the Board regulates, it will notify the dentist and give the dentist a chance to provide a response. This is the best point at which to get the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team on board. Your written response to the allegations made against you can set the tone for the remainder of the proceedings. Our attorneys can work with you to craft a detailed and effective response that may make the difference between you being sanctioned or the matter being dismissed.
In some cases, we may conduct our own investigation on your behalf. North Carolina allows us to depose the person who has accused you, and in any event, depending on the circumstances, it may make sense to pursue other areas of inquiry. Whether we do so depends entirely on the circumstances of your particular case, but if you are working with the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team, you will be working with attorneys who have conducted these kinds of investigations before.
The investigation may result in the Board dismissing the complaint against you. That, of course, is the most favorable result. In other cases, where the Board believes that sanctions are appropriate, there will typically be the opportunity to resolve the matter with an agreement following a period of negotiation. In fact, the majority of matters that reach the stage where the Board believes sanctions are appropriate are resolved this way. Relatively few proceed to a formal hearing.
This is an important point. When the Board is willing to negotiate a resolution of your disciplinary matter, you benefit greatly by having an attorney by your side who has negotiated other licensing matters for other professional clients. The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team is made up of attorneys who have precisely this experience. Working with an experienced negotiator can make a significant difference in the outcome of the discussions with the Board, and in many cases can result in a more favorable outcome.
Help During Disciplinary Investigations
In cases where the Board decides to investigate further, you also want an experienced attorney by your side. For one, you are very likely to be interviewed in connection with the investigation. This is a situation that most of us are not used to – having to answer questions posed by someone whose job it is to uncover information that can be used against us. It’s stressful, to say the least. But we can help prepare you for it, and we can be there with you when the investigator is asking questions. This will allow us to help make sure you only answer clear, fair questions that you understand – and to make sure that your answers are complete and are focused on what you were asked.
Your preparation can even include practice sessions, where we ask the kinds of questions you can expect to get from the investigator, and you can work on the skills of listening carefully to each question, making sure you understand what you’re being asked, preparing your response before you start speaking, and then only answering the question that you’re asked. Doing this helps keep the question and answer process focused.
It is important to cooperate with the investigation, because failure to do so can result in you facing more misconduct allegations. But at the same time, you have rights that you are entitled to protect. When you work with the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team, we can make sure that you meet your obligation to cooperate with the Board while at the same time protecting your rights and defending yourself throughout the process.
After the Investigation
Based on the results of the investigation, the Board may decide to dismiss the case against you or may elect to move forward with disciplinary proceedings against you. It is at this point that we can discuss resolving the matter on your behalf with the Board, instead of waiting for and preparing for a formal hearing. In fact, most matters that are not dismissed are resolved through negotiations with the Board, with an outcome that is agreed to in advance.
Negotiating with the Board is not something you should attempt to do on your own. The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team regularly represents clients in these types of discussions. We understand the types of concerns that the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners has in disciplinary cases, and we can address those concerns while at the same time pursuing the best resolution for your case.
When matters do not settle, they proceed to an administrative hearing. These are similar to court proceedings, but are less formal. There will still be testimony from witnesses – including possibly yourself – and the opportunity to cross-examine others. The Board can also consider relevant documentary and other types of evidence when deciding the case.
Potential Outcomes
After the hearing, the Board will issue its decision. In addition to dismissing the matter (by way of a letter of exoneration), it could also sanction you in one or more of the following ways:
-
A letter of caution
-
A letter of reprimand
-
Placing you on probation, typically with conditions you must meet, such as taking certain remedial courses as directed by the Board
-
Suspending your license for a defined period of time
-
Revoking your license
Again, any public sanction will become part of your license record and can be viewed by anybody who conducts a search using the Board’s license lookup tool.
The LLF National Law Firm Can Defend Your Dental License in the Piedmont Triad
If you are notified that someone has filed a misconduct complaint against you with the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners, the sooner you reach out for help, the better. This is not something you should try to handle on your own or, worse, ignore. Just as you would not recommend that a patient treat themselves, you need the help of an experienced licensed defense attorney if you want the best chance for a favorable outcome of your disciplinary case.
The LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team is here to help in these kinds of difficult situations. Our attorneys represent professional license holders – including dentists – from all over the US who are facing disciplinary investigations and proceedings. We know the laws, regulations, rules, and procedures that apply, and are ready to protect your rights from the moment you learn that a misconduct complaint has been filed against you, through the investigation and the final resolution of the process.
When you work with us, you will have the benefit of our years of experience with these types of cases. You will also be secure, knowing that we are looking out for your rights and making sure you meet your obligations to cooperate with the Board in the disciplinary process. To learn more about how the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team can protect you when someone files a misconduct complaint against you in North Carolina, call us at 888.535.3686, or fill out our online contact form. We will set up a confidential consultation where you can tell us about your case, and we can explain how we will help.