Welcome back Dr. Talley
By Damon Toledo
The Southern Ute Drum
The Southern Ute Health Center and dental department are pleased to welcome the return of Dr. Brian Talley. Talley has previously served the Tribe from 2005 to 2009 as a general dentist, and has expressed excitement in bringing a new role of expertise to serve the tribal community.
“I used to work with the Tribe before, until I decided I wanted to pursue special training,” he said. “I went through pediatric dental residency until June 2012 and was stationed at the children’s hospital in Aurora, Colorado… Now my practices are limited to pediatric patients. In addition to treating patients at the clinic, I’m looking forward to getting involved with the schools and talk about good oral health behaviors. We want to minimize dental issues for the young folks, so what better place to come back and use those talents.”
Growing up in Mississippi was an eventful time for Talley. His childhood consisted of spending time outdoors, taking part in fishing, boating, and golf activities, he said. Talley is the middle child of five. He graduated high school at the Resurrection Catholic School in Pascagoula where he enjoyed studying biology.
From there, he enrolled at the University of Mississippi where he became a student at the Mississippi School of Dentistry. During his time in dental school, he worked for an orthodontist as a lab technician, which allowed him to further pursue his career in the field.
Talley stated that he is blessed to return to the four corners and aid the Southern Ute Indian Tribe once again.
“I still enjoy the outdoors, and that’s one of the [fantastic things] about living here. You can have four seasons all in one, unlike where I grew up where the activities were much more limited. I’m glad to be back. I like working with the health center and dental team, and hopefully I can bring an array of expertise to the dental clinic.”
As the Southern Ute Health Center continues its expansion in providing more services for tribal members, Talley stated that the main goal for the dental department is to always ensure the importance of proper hygiene.
“We want to focus more on educating folks more on the importance of dental health in the pediatric population,” he addressed. “This is so we can foster a long lasting relationship between the community and the dentists. As a pediatric patients transition from teenagers to adults, they can pass on those proper lessons to future generations. I look forward to working with the folks I worked with previously, as well as the new patients and staff.”
Talley is married to wife, Karen. They have two children: son, William, and daughter, Claire.