Dr. James Charles Fulmer

Dr. James Fulmer D.D.S.
Plainly and simply, Dr. Fulmer loves dentistry. As he puts it, looking thoughtfully out on Roosevelt Road from the rooms above his office, “Some go into dentistry so they can afford to hunt and fish. I’m not knocking that: I’ve always loved sports, too. But dentistry is just as important, and its satisfactions go deeper and spread more widely… God gave me the gift of pain relief. That doesn’t mean I’m pushy about my faith, or preach to my patients or think I’m superior to other people. But I am extraordinarily lucky. In addition to all the satisfactions that come with relieving pain, I get all sorts of other benefits out of the job. I enjoy working with people, and, at the same time, I like running my own business. As a fifth generation Kenoshan, I like seeing people I’ve known all my life, and I like meeting the new folks who move to our town. I like working with my hands and my brains - you need to do both in dentistry, and there’s a …satisfaction that comes from the coordination between the two. Outside the office, I enjoy reading about dentistry, and keeping up with the rapid advances in the field. I enjoy working in my lab. I enjoy spending several trips a year to workshops in continuing education. I enjoy talking to other dentists. There are types of dentistry I’d rather refer to other dentists, but everything I do here is something I love to do.”
Those areas which Dr. Fulmer does not do in his office are primarily periodontics and orthodontics. Since he practices family dentistry, however, he can refer his patients to Doctors who perform these procedures. He can assess the likelihood of you or your family requiring these specializations and help you find what you need, while not neglecting the rest of your dental care.
Something he can, and sometimes must, do is extract teeth. This is something he does not like, and only does when necessary. His main reason for this is not that he finds extraction out of his range, but that he firmly believes that most people can save their natural teeth, even in situations where damage or neglect have caused serious problems - including problems which many dentists would not want to bother trying to repair. Dentures and implants have come a long way in recent years, but no matter how good false teeth may be, Dr. Fulmer believes, your own teeth are more desirable, both from the point of view of chewing and maintaining a good-looking smile, and from the point of view of long-term patient satisfaction. Of all the aspects of dentistry Dr. Fulmer enjoys, the area he likes best is crown work and bridge construction where they are needed to give his patients full mouths of teeth.
Personal History 
Although James Fulmer briefly contemplated other career choices as a teenager, these were transitory, and he knew that dentistry was where he belonged. Then as now, he had an active interest in sports and school activities. He was on the Tremper football team throughout high school. The Student Council elected him Vice-President in his senior year. He was also voted the most friendly member of his graduating class. He continues to take particular pride in this honor. He received it for personality traits that work as much in dentistry as they do in sports, family, and community life. Something he hasn’t thought of previously but that says a great deal about him is the function of such awards in some situations. They are sometimes bestowed upon a student because his parents are prominent in the community, or because the recipient has done favors for the more talented members of the class, or simply as a way of making an unfortunate student feel better. Since he was already on the football team and class vice-president, it’s obvious that this was not a token award or a consolation prize.
James Fulmer graduated from Tremper in 1977. He received his undergraduate degree from Marquette University in 1985. Three weeks later, he married Pam Ruffolo. The newly-weds moved to Temple, Texas, where Dr. Fulmer completed his residence at Olin Teague Veterans