The late, great Jimmy Buffet’s “A Pirate Looks at Forty” was released in 1975, five years before my birth. The song is about a washed up 40 year old drug smuggler, reflecting on his life, believing he was born too late. He expresses longing for a past that is no more and uncertainty of what the future holds. Buffett, who died last September, seemed to have a knack for living in the moment. Most accounts indicate he possessed a true zeal for life and embraced each new day as an opportunity. Buffett understood the Dali Lama’s belief that nothing could be done with yesterday or tomorrow. Living takes place in the now. Last week (January 4th) I celebrated my 44th birthday. The day was good. I didn’t run behind at the office. I watched our oldest son, Pratt, play in a Jr. High basketball game. And I enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Hannah and our three boys. Throughout the day, friends and family texted thoughtful birthday wishes. All good stuff. No, I’m not a pirate, but 40+ years of walking around lends some perspective and forces some reflection. How did I get here so quickly? Are the years gaining speed? How is it possible that my oldest child is only 3 years away from leaving our home? One friend sent a meme pointing out the fact that 1980 and 2023 are as far apart as 1937 and 1980. While that math seems fuzzy, it’s becoming harder for me to hide from the fact that my race is at least half run. Time to start shopping for a sports car? Another friend further confirmed my situation, saying, “The past holds more than the future now.” Gee, thanks. In this coming new year, I’ll attempt to make the most of today, avoiding regret and worry while leaning into grace and hope. And as we race onward, let us remember Buffet’s advice: “Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.” And don't forget to floss. -Clint Fulks, D.D.S.

I have always loved music. If you’re a patient of mine, chances are you’ve heard me hum or sing a tune as I work. Sometimes I even get the words right. I can’t help it. Perhaps I’ve always had a song in my heart. My father made the chords and let me strum as 4 year old Clint sang, “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” I can remember singing at my locker in high school, and singing to my dental school classmates during clinical exams (just doing my part to lower everyone’s stress levels). Music for me, especially live music, is a spiritual experience. Sometimes I can feel the love of God coming through in the emotions that music brings. To quote Leon Russell’s, “A Song for You”, “Listen to the melody, cause my loves in there hiding. I love you in a place where there’s no space or time.” That is a love worth embracing! Last weekend, Hannah and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary at the Hollywood Bowl in California. We attended a two night birthday concert, celebrating Willie Nelson’s 90th! As his song goes, “Gee, ain’t it funny, how time just slips away?”. The scope and depth of Willie’s writing is immense. We were in heaven listening to over 45 artists perform their interpretations of his work. Current artists such as Sturgill Simpson, Billy Strings, Tyler Childers joined icons such as Kris Kristofferson, Neil Young, and Keith Richards in celebrating a true American treasure. I am grateful to have been in that space and time with the love of my life. Music, it seems, is always best when shared. Willie once said, “We are the same. There is no difference anywhere in the world. People are people. They laugh, cry, feel, and love, and music seems to be the common denomination that brings us all together. Music cuts through all boundaries and goes right to the soul.” I tend to agree. Until next time, go and try to make a joyful noise. You might lift your own, as well as someone else’s, spirit. And don’t forget to floss. -Clint Fulks, D.D.S.

I once told a good friend of mine that I knew a little bit about a lot of stuff. Beekeeping falls into this category. I started keeping bees three years ago when a buddy placed one of his hives on my property. Soon after, a second friend gave me a recently captured swarm. I’ve learned a lot over the last few years, yet often feel as if I have no idea what I’m doing. Thank goodness for friends who know more than I and are willing to help. We’ve had hives swarm, battled hive beetles, split hives, lost splits, lost queens, fed bees and even gotten stung a few times (once today!). I’ve learned that keeping bees is a bit like herding cats. We control what we can in hopes of predictability, but many things are out of our control. Checking hives regularly allows us to react when the bees are behaving differently than we might have expected. Despite the challenges, we’ve been able to “steal” some honey the last two summers. I’ve noticed parallels between beekeeping, practicing dentistry, and everyday life. In each, the importance lies in being present. When handling bees, I learned staying in the moment means focusing on what is right in front of me. What am I looking for? What is important here? I must ignore the sight and sound of bees buzzing around my head in order to finish the task. I have recently developed a practice mantra which is to give people my best in each moment of each day. This serves a practical purpose in keeping myself focused on the task at hand, but also gives me permission to let go of and not worry about those things that are out of my control. Care but don’t carry. In life, I believe the trick is to guard the moment. Sure I can learn from the past and plan for the future, but I must be careful not to live in either of those places. Again. What am I looking for? What’s important here? What has value? This moment is what matters most. This is where we live. This is where we taste the honey. Be kind to the bees this spring and don’t forget to floss! Dr. Clint Fulks

Much like this publication, in October of this year, Fulks Family Dentistry will turn 13. In 2008, after three years of practice as an associate in a nearby town, I moved to Benton, opened a scratch dental practice, and welcomed my child, all in a three week window . Fulks Family Dentistry began with one employee, two dental chairs and one patient. He was a childhood friend who showed up at 8 am and was seated in chair one. Everything went smoothly. The dental work and the new equipment. We went to lunch at noon. He returned at 1 pm to be my second patient, in chair two, where incredibly, everything worked there too. As the years have gone by, we have been fortunate to see our practice grow. There are more of us now. And we have been blessed with more patients who trust us and consider us to be their dental home. While there are some perks to a small, two operatory practice, growth has allowed us certain benefits. Now with four hygienists, often we can schedule multiple family members in a single time slot. With more than one doctor in the office, we have flexibility in scheduling and expanded office hours. Numbers are all around us. And many are important with significance and meaning. We brush twice a day, for two minutes. We schedule cleanings twice a year. We have 20 baby teeth and 32 permanent teeth. We have one chance to make a positive first impression with a smile. But ultimately, numbers make me think of time. Time is something we only have so much of and I often find myself wasting it on things of little importance. As we move forward into 2021, let’s remind ourselves to spend our time wisely and make the most of each day. It’s my goal to buy as much time as I can in order to spend it with the ones I love and care about. And don’t forget to floss.

My freshman year of college, I wrote an essay for a composition class, titled, “A Watermelon Goat Ride”. The theme of the paper was based on my early childhood memories of long summer days spent playing at my grandparents’ small farm. Waking up early to the smell of bacon in the kitchen. Excitedly leaving the house to head down the road to catch crawdads with my cousin. Sitting under a shade tree eating fresh, salted watermelon from my grandfather’s garden. Catching a ride on one of the few goats who called the farm home. These are some of my earliest memories of enjoying summer outdoors. I have always loved the outdoors. During college and graduate school, I owned a small fishing boat. I attended dental school in Memphis and lived feet from the Mississippi River. When time allowed, my buddies and I took full advantage of that boat. We crappie fished the nearby oxbow lakes. Made a frog-gigging trip to the St. Francis. We ran trot lines on the Wolf River where it flowed into the Mississippi.I also remember a time when my dental school roommate and two other friends launched a new to him, older to the rest of the world, bass boat that his grandfather had gifted him. At night. On the Missisippi River. Only to discover the outboard engine didn’t run well. In fact, sometimes it didn’t run at all. We realized this as we were drifting under the lights of the I-40 bridge.While this does sound crazy, it’s probably not the craziest thing that happened to me in Memphis. Now that I have three young boys of my own, much of my outdoor play involves and revolves around them. I love watching them find joy from some of the same things that delighted me as a child. We love to fish together, explore the woods, and even find an occasional crawdad in the creek that flows into our pond. It’s been a long twelve months, capped off by a late winter freeze. I am ready for a warm summer outside. Be it with your grandparents, your friends, or your kids, I am hopeful you find those you enjoy and are able to get outside and play in these coming months. Play is best enjoyed with the ones you love! And don’t forget to floss!

Dear Friends - This is my son Max who is now nine years old. When this picture was taken, he was six. Indeed, all he wanted for Christmas were his “two front teeth”. Not long after the picture was taken, Max’s Christmas wish came true. Two healthy, adult/permanent teeth replaced his missing baby teeth. Baby teeth are lost and permanent teeth replace them - for most people. My dental history is a little different. At an early age, probably around six, it was discovered that 12 of my permanent teeth were missing. In other words, they failed to develop. In the dental world, we know this as oligodontia. It is not all that uncommon for a person to have one or two permanent teeth that don’t develop. But 12? That’s not typical. My situation was more like one in a million. Restoring my smile, both functionally and cosmetically, required a team approach involving orthodontists, oral surgeons, and restorative dentists. As a child, I wore two sets of braces. During my freshman year of college, I underwent surgery which included grafting bone from my hip and placing multiple dental implants. In fact, I remember going one whole semester of college missing several lower, anterior teeth. Amazingly, this did not inhibit me from flirting with girls, including my future wife, Hannah. Now all these years later, I know what I’m most grateful for. I can honestly empathize with and relate to my patients who are undergoing any surgical, restorative procedures because I have been there. I have an honest appreciation for the value of healthy teeth, both functionally and cosmetically. I am so grateful to have been born today, in a time when we have amazing restorative options. We have come so far from George Washington’s ivory teeth. While on complicated cases like my own we work closely with excellent specialists and take a team approach, for straight forward implant cases, we can do that in house. We have invested in technology and training that allows us to predictably place and restore dental implants. For those of you in Max’s position who find yourself wanting new teeth for Christmas, give us a call. We can help with that. For those of you who are fortunate to naturally have healthy, beautiful teeth, we would love to help you maintain your smile. Merry Christmas from our family to yours. Don’t forget to floss.

The American Cancer Society estimates that over 53,000 people will get oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer in 2020.

Just about anyone who’s been to the dentist has had dental X-rays taken.

When we think of being healthy, how much are we thinking about oral health?