Kelly Ripa Brushed Her Teeth So Much She Needed Gum Surgery
By Alexus Mosley
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Apparently, there is such a thing as being too committed to dental hygiene. Kelly Ripa recently revealed that her enthusiastic brushing habit caused enough gum recession that she ultimately needed gum graft surgery, a procedure she had apparently been putting off for years.
The Live! with Kelly and Mark host explained the situation on an episode of her Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, recorded before the procedure. “I brush my teeth too much,” Ripa explained, calling it a “good-bad habit.” Unfortunately, all that brushing came with consequences. Ripa said she had developed gum recession, particularly along her lower gums, and joked that doctors essentially needed to “re-gum my gums.” Not exactly the reward you expect for excellent oral hygiene.
Ripa revealed that she was actually supposed to undergo the procedure about five years ago but had continued putting it off. The gum graft involves taking tissue from the roof of the mouth and using it to repair the areas where the gums have receded. Ouch.
If the procedure itself didn’t sound unpleasant enough, Ripa said she had also been instructed not to speak for 10 days afterward. For someone whose literal job involves talking on television every morning, that’s quite the recovery plan.
Ripa’s husband and Live! cohost Mark Consuelos later gave viewers an update during a July 27 episode of the show. According to Consuelos, his wife has an unusually high pain tolerance. So much so that she reportedly skips Novocain at the dentist. But this surgery? “This one hurts,” he told viewers. Which frankly tells us everything we need to know.
Ripa underwent the surgery in late July and subsequently took time away from Live! while recovering. The show is currently airing prerecorded episodes during its traditional summer hiatus before returning live for its 39th season after Labor Day. So when Ripa does return to the studio, she’ll presumably have quite the story to tell.
Until then, consider this your reminder that apparently even brushing your teeth can become a case of too much of a good thing.
On the bright side, we’re guessing cavities were never the problem.