Kelly Ripa Opens up About Unexpected Surgery

Kelly Ripa is getting candid about the dental procedure that recently forced her to step away from Live with Kelly and Mark.

The 55-year-old host discussed her gum graft surgery on the latest episode of her Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, which was recorded before the procedure. During a conversation with Survival of the Thickest star Michelle Buteau, Ripa explained that a habit she considers both good and bad contributed to the problem.

“I’m an over-brusher,” Ripa said.

“I brush my teeth too much. It’s a good-bad habit,” she explained. “But I’ve caused gum recession down here specifically, and so they have gotta re-gum my gums.”

A gum graft is a periodontal procedure commonly used to treat receding or thinning gums. During the surgery, tissue is transferred to areas where the gums have receded, helping cover exposed tooth roots and protect against additional recession, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Ripa said the procedure involves taking tissue from the roof of the mouth and attaching it to the affected gum area.

When Buteau remarked that the surgery sounded painful, Ripa agreed.

“It is,” she said.

She also revealed one of the biggest challenges of her recovery: not being able to speak.

Ripa said she was “not allowed to talk for ten days” following the operation. She admitted that the restriction was already causing her some anxiety.

“We’re already managing my stress level for not being able to talk for ten days,” she said.

The surgery was not something Ripa had planned to undergo immediately. In fact, she said she had been putting it off for years.

“Before you praise me, I was supposed to do it five years ago,” Ripa said. “But now, just so you know, the doctor was like, ‘Now, you don’t have the luxury of time.’”

Ripa ultimately missed roughly two weeks of Live with Kelly and Mark while recovering.

Her absence began July 27, when husband and co-host Mark Consuelos explained that she was recovering from the procedure, according to PEOPLE.

“Kelly sends her love,” Consuelos told viewers. “Kelly had a little bit — well, it’s not a little— she had a gum graft surgery.”

Although Ripa joked about the inconvenience of losing her voice, the procedure was intended to address gum recession caused by years of aggressive brushing.