Dental License DWI Lawyer In Beaumont, TX
Dentists, dental hygienists and registered dental assistants in Texas are regulated by the State Board of Dental Examiners, and a DWI arrest creates a board question separate from the court case. This page covers how the board can learn of an arrest, what the statute lets it do and how the criminal defense fits beside it.
How Does A DWI Affect A Texas Dental License?
A DWI arrest can reach the State Board of Dental Examiners through the fingerprint based identification number it links to each licensee and through renewal questions about arrests and court orders. Occupations Code § 263.002 lets the board act against a licensee who is addicted to or habitually intemperate in alcohol use. The criminal charge is DWI under Penal Code § 49.04.
Source: Texas Occupations Code Chapter 263, Dental Practice Act: Discipline of Licensees
Understanding Texas Law
How Does A DWI Reach The State Board Of Dental Examiners?
The State Board of Dental Examiners licenses dentists and dental hygienists and registers dental assistants in Texas. Its statute is the Dental Practice Act, found in the Occupations Code.
A DWI arrest in Jefferson County ends in booking, and booking includes fingerprints. Arrestees from every law enforcement agency in the county are booked into the county's jail system. The board links each licensee to a state identification number assigned from fingerprints, so notice of a criminal history event can reach it without any report from the licensee. Renewal forms and complaints are other channels, and which one reaches the board first is not something a licensee controls.
What a licensee does control is the accuracy of what is said to the board. A form answer that leaves out an event the board can already see creates a second problem on top of the first.
What the dental board's statute reaches:
- A licensee addicted to or habitually intemperate in the use of alcoholic beverages (§ 263.002)
- A conviction directly related to dentistry, under the Chapter 53 framework
- Renewal answers that differ from the record the board receives
The overview of Chapter 53 and how boards treat different outcomes is on the licensed professionals page. This page covers what is particular to dentistry.
Penalties And Consequences
What Can The Dental Board Do After A DWI In Texas?
A dental professional's charge is filed and prosecuted like any other DWI. The board's interest turns on the renewal question and on whether the facts point to a pattern of alcohol use. The ranges below are limits the statutes set, not predictions.
Fine of up to $2,000.
Under Transportation Code § 521.344.
Counted from receiving the notice of suspension.
- The charge
- Penal Code § 49.04. Class B misdemeanor on a first offense, Class A at 0.15 or above, felony on a third.
- Board ground for alcohol
- Occupations Code § 263.002, addicted to or habitually intemperate in the use of alcoholic beverages.
- Board ground for convictions
- Chapter 53 allows action on a conviction that directly relates to the duties of the occupation.
- How the board learns
- Fingerprint based identification notices, renewal questions and complaints.
- Board actions that exist
- Warning, reprimand, fine, probation of the license, suspension or revocation, after notice and a hearing.
- Peer assistance
- The Professional Recovery Network, available to Texas health care professionals.
- Where a misdemeanor is filed
- Filed in one of the Jefferson County Courts at Law at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1085 Pearl Street.
- Where a felony is heard
- Heard in the district courts at the Jefferson County Courthouse on 1085 Pearl Street, prosecuted by the Jefferson County Criminal District Attorney's Office.
One arrest does not mean the board will take action. The result of the case, the contents of the record and the care taken in answering the board's questions carry the weight.
Real Questions
What Do Dental Licensees Ask About A DWI In Texas?
How should a renewal question about arrests be read?
What if the case is dismissed before renewal?
Should I contact the Professional Recovery Network?
Does a test number matter to the board?
Possible Defenses
How Can A Dental Licensee's DWI Be Defended?
The defense of the criminal charge comes first, because the evidence it tests is the evidence the board will read. An attorney reviews the stop, the roadside tests, the breath or blood result and the video to see what the state can prove. No result can be promised. The same file is explained on the first DWI page.
The board adds questions about timing, wording and the licensee's own account, so the criminal defense and the board response are planned together.
Peer assistance and the board are separate tracks.
The Professional Recovery Network works with health care professionals who may be affected by substance use or mental illness, and the board can refer a licensee to it in place of disciplinary action. Whether self-referral makes sense depends on the criminal case.
An ALR hearing request protects the driver's license on its own deadline and does not replace any answer owed to the board.
The Stop
Did the officer have a lawful reason to stop or detain the driver?
The Test
Was the breath or blood sample collected, stored and analyzed correctly?
The Renewal Answers
Do the answers match the court record and the fingerprint notice?
Habitual Use
Does the file show a single event or a pattern, and what does the statute's wording require?
The Resolution
How does each possible ending read to the board?
Later Relief
Could the case end in a way that opens expunction or nondisclosure?
Local Process
What Happens After A Dental Licensee's DWI Arrest In Jefferson County?
State law drives both the criminal process and the dental board's review. Only the court, the prosecutor and the booking are local to Jefferson County.
Booking And Fingerprints
The person is booked into the county jail system, fingerprinted and brought before a magistrate, who sets bond.
The ALR Window
A request for an ALR hearing goes to DPS within 15 days after the notice of suspension is received.
The Criminal Case
The defense requests the state's evidence and tests it. The case resolves by dismissal, reduction, a plea, a program or trial.
The Board
The licensee answers the next renewal questions from the court record, and any board inquiry is handled alongside the case.
- Arresting agencies
- Beaumont Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Texas DPS Highway Patrol, Port Arthur Police Department, Nederland Police Department, Port Neches Police Department, and Groves Police Department.
- Booking
- Arrestees from every law enforcement agency in the county are booked into the county's jail system.
- License to drive
- An ALR hearing before the State Office of Administrative Hearings, requested within 15 days.
- If the case is appealed
- the Ninth Court of Appeals in Beaumont.
The collateral consequences page covers what else a conviction can touch.
Next Steps
What Should A Dental Licensee Do After A DWI Arrest?
A licensee does not have to do anything for the first deadlines to start running, which is why the early days count. The list below is general information and not advice for any one person.
Count 15 Days
Find the date on the notice of suspension and count 15 days from receiving it.
Get The Court Papers
Collect the citation, the charging document and the bond papers, since renewal answers rest on them.
Read The Renewal Form
When renewal comes, read each question word by word and answer from the record.
Assume The Board May Know
Assume the board may already hold a notice of the booking through the fingerprint system.
Learn About Peer Help
Find out what the Professional Recovery Network offers and when a referral could matter.
Stay Off Social Media
Do not post about the arrest or the case.
Speak with a lawyer before replying to a board question or accepting a plea, since neither can be taken back once made. Mitchell Law Firm offers a confidential conversation about a dental licensee's DWI charge in Jefferson County, and an early call keeps the ALR window and the board's questions in view.
Official Texas Sources
Read The Law Behind This Page
- Texas Occupations Code Chapter 263: Dental Practice Act, discipline of licensees
- Texas Occupations Code Chapter 53: Licensing consequences of a criminal conviction
- Texas State Board of Dental Examiners
- Texas Penal Code Chapter 49: DWI offense and definitions
- Texas Transportation Code Chapter 524: Administrative license suspension and the ALR hearing
- Texas Transportation Code Chapter 521: Suspension after a DWI conviction
Who Handles Your Case
The Texas Lawyer Who Speaks Science
Attorney Brennon Mitchell isn't just a seasoned Beaumont trial lawyer. He's one of the few in Texas, and the entire country, to earn the prestigious title of an ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist. That means he's gone beyond the courtroom and into the laboratory, receiving in-depth, hands-on training in forensic chromatography, the same kind of testing used by crime labs to try and convict Texans every day.
What does that mean for you?
It means when the state uses blood alcohol or drug testing to try to prove its case, Mr. Mitchell knows how to challenge it. He's trained to:
- Analyze lab results and spot faulty science
- Cross-examine forensic experts with precision
- Break down complex chemical evidence in plain language for juries
This is not the kind of background you find in most criminal defense attorneys, and it could make the difference between a conviction and a clean slate.
Brennon graduated from Texas A&M University School of Law and practices from offices in Orange and Conroe.
Client Reviews
What Clients Say About Brennon Mitchell
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and is decided on its own facts.
Related DWI Charges
Other DWI Cases Handled In Beaumont, TX
Each health care profession answers to its own board. These pages cover nearby boards and charges. See the full DWI defense overview for Beaumont.
First, Repeat And Felony DWI
Priors never expire in Texas, and a second or third charge moves the case into a different range entirely.
Drug And Substance DWI
You do not need alcohol to be charged. Prescriptions and legal hemp products lead to DWI arrests in Jefferson County.
The Driver And The Vehicle
Age, license type, home state, and what was being operated all change where the same stop leads.
Your License And The Process
The evidence, the deadlines, and what a conviction reaches beyond the courtroom.
Health Care Licenses
Boards that license patient care run their own review of an alcohol arrest, separate from the court.
Other Professional Licenses
Law, finance, aviation, teaching, real estate, and security work each answer to their own board or agency.
Common Questions
Dental License DWI Questions People In Beaumont Ask
Does a DWI arrest in Beaumont, TX concern the Texas dental board?
The State Board of Dental Examiners licenses dentists and dental hygienists and registers dental assistants, and it reviews conduct that bears on fitness to practice. The board links licensees to a fingerprint based state identification number so it can receive notice of criminal history events, and renewal forms ask about arrests and court orders. A booking is a fingerprinted event.
What does the dental renewal form ask after a DWI arrest in Beaumont, TX?
The board's renewal and application forms ask about arrests, charges, convictions and court orders, and a yes answer can require court records. The wording changes from one form version to the next. The form in use when the license comes up for renewal controls what must be answered and what must be attached.
Can a dental license be disciplined over a Jefferson County DWI?
Occupations Code § 263.002 lets the board act against a licensee who is addicted to or habitually intemperate in the use of alcoholic beverages, and Chapter 53 lets a board act on a conviction directly related to the licensed occupation. Board actions range from a warning or reprimand through probation, suspension and revocation.
What is the Professional Recovery Network for dental licensees in Beaumont?
The Professional Recovery Network is a peer assistance program that works with Texas health care professionals dealing with substance use or mental illness, and the dental board recognizes it. Licensees can refer themselves, and the board can refer a licensee. Whether to contact it is a decision to weigh alongside the criminal case.
Does one DWI arrest in Jefferson County make a dentist habitually intemperate?
The statute's words describe a pattern of alcohol use rather than a single event. A board looks at the facts, such as the test result, any crash, earlier arrests and the licensee's own evaluation. How a first arrest is read is decided case by case, and the file carries the weight.
Can a dental student with a Beaumont DWI still be licensed in Texas?
The State Board of Dental Examiners reviews the criminal history of applicants for licensure and registration, and it offers a criminal history evaluation to people enrolled in or planning a dental, hygiene or assisting program. The evaluation shows before graduation how the board reads a particular record.
Mitchell Law Firm, PLLC
One Arrest, Two Files
The board file and the court file start at the same arrest. Call before the ALR deadline runs out.
Serving Beaumont
