Kelly Ripa Reveals She Needed Gum Graft Surgery After Years of Over-Brushing

Kelly Ripa has shared more details about the gum graft surgery that forced her to miss several episodes of Live with Kelly and Mark.

On her Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, Ripa, 55, said she needed the procedure because she brushes her teeth too aggressively, which caused gum recession. During the surgery, tissue from the roof of her mouth is grafted onto the affected gums.

Ripa said the procedure is painful and that her doctor ordered her not to talk for 10 days while she recovered. She also said she had delayed the surgery for about five years, but her doctor eventually told her she could no longer wait.

Ripa missed about two weeks of Live beginning July 27. During her recovery, Mark Consuelos said she was following a soft-food diet, avoiding straws and trying not to disturb the surgical area.

Several guest hosts, including Michelle Buteau, Kevin Jonas, Mila Kunis and Pamela Adlon, filled in while Ripa recovered.