Dr. Tatum is a native South Carolinian, born in Anderson, SC. She has lived in many places in North and South Carolina and a few in Virginia. Her father, Jack Tatum, worked in the textile industry after graduating from Clemson University. When Dr. Tatum was 12 years old, she had her braces put on and her love for dentistry began. From that age, she new she wanted to be a dentist and never strayed from that goal.