Kelly Ripa has opened up about the surprisingly ordinary dental habit that ultimately left her needing what she described as “painful” gum surgery.
The Live with Kelly and Mark host, 55, was absent from the daytime talk show in late July, when her husband and co-host, Mark Consuelos, explained that she had undergone gum graft surgery to address receding gums.
Ripa has now offered more insight into the cause of the problem and why the dental procedure became necessary.
Speaking on the latest episode of her Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, which was recorded before the operation, Ripa said she had damaged her gums because she had been “brushing her teeth too much.”
“I’m an over-brusher,” she told guest co-host Michelle Buteau. “I brush my teeth too much. It’s a good-bad habit.”
She added that the aggressive dental routine had caused gum recession in a specific area, explaining, “But I’ve caused gum recession down here specifically, and so they have gotta re-gum my gums.”
After Buteau remarked that the gum graft procedure “sounded painful,” Ripa did not disagree. “It is,” she said, adding that she would not be “allowed to talk for ten days” afterward.
Ripa also revealed that the surgery had been recommended years earlier, admitting she was supposed to have the procedure five years ago but had continued to put it off.
Kelly Ripa has revealed that brushing her teeth too much led to her needing ‘painful’ gum surgery
The Live with Kelly and Mark host, 55, stepped away from the show in late July, with her husband, Mark Consuelos, revealing at the time that she had undergone gum graft surgery to treat her receding gums
‘But now, the doctor was like, “Now, you don’t have the luxury of time,”‘ she added.
According to My Cleveland Clinic, gum graft surgery ‘covers exposed teeth roots and adds volume to your gum line, improving overall oral health.’
The site adds that receding gums are often a result of gum disease, but people can also be genetically prone to thinning gums.
‘You can also develop gum recession if you brush too aggressively,’ My Cleveland Clinic notes.
‘Recovery usually takes one week to two weeks, but it may take longer.’
On July 27, Consuelos gave an update on Ripa’s health while addressing her absence on the show.
‘She’s doing well. She’s doing great,’ the Fallen Angels thespian said smiling. ‘She’s not allowed to talk.’
‘Wow, that’s got to be the hardest thing that she’s ever done,’ Kevin Jonas, who was a guest at the time, responded.
Now, she has shared new details about what led to her needing the procedure, explaining: ‘I’m an over-brusher. I brush my teeth too much. It’s a good-bad habit.’ She’s seen in April
Consuelos continued: ‘She’s such a great conversationalist, but I’m trying to [help] her [to] follow the rules, follow the directions.
‘She has to eat soft food, you can’t suck out of a straw and you can’t examine it, which means pulling down the lip.’
‘It’s painful,’ Consuelos then told the audience. ‘But she famously doesn’t feel pain.
‘When she goes to the dentist, she doesn’t really use the Novocaine. But this one hurts. So, I know it’s bad.’
The Daily Mail reached out to Ripa’s rep for comment at the time, who said: ‘Kelly is taking some time off and we have awesome co-hosts.’
Ripa has not been back on the show since, ultimately missing two weeks before the show started a hiatus for the summer. She is set to return in September when season 39 premieres.
