Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos may now be known for the bright, camera-ready smiles they flash each day as co-hosts of LIVE, but their journey to achieving those pearly whites has been a long one.
The couple have each undergone extensive dental work to perfect their smiles, with Kelly spending 35 years addressing and correcting her dental issues to achieve the polished look she has today.
Kelly has previously admitted that she’s a big fan of going to the dentist. During an episode of Live in 2021 alongside former co-star Ryan Seacrest, she said: “I am a person who loves going to the dentist. I particularly love Dr. Loweberg, but I love going to the dentist. I find it calming, I sleep through the teeth cleaning – no I don’t have laughing gas. I don’t get my mouth numbed. I love the terrible sounds, the feeling of it, I don’t find it self-torture I love it.
“So for me, the hardest part of lockdown, besides from seeing what I actually look like, was not having access to having my teeth cleaned every four months.”
HELLO! are taking a closer look at the dental treatments Kelly and Mark have undergone to flaunt their flawless smiles.
Kelly Ripa’s teeth
During a previous episode of the show, Kelly explained that she has to wear a retainer because she never had braces as a child. “I never had braces and I have spent the past 35 plus years correcting what should of been done for me as a kid – but we won’t get into that!” she said.
“You have so many things going on in your mouth,” teased Mark. “You’ve got your retainer, you’ve got the little band, the thing …. Do you have upper and lower retainers?”
© Getty Images“I’m not going to tell you because you live with me and every night you watch me get ready for bed,” replied Kelly.
“I’m going to let you figure out whether I wear an upper and lower retainer.”
Mark then shared that “whatever it is”, it causes Ripa to slur her speech “for the first few hours at night and the first few hours in the morning”.
Kelly’s masseter botox
© WireImageKelly was recommended the retainer by her dentist due to her extensive teeth clenching at night. She also has undergone masseter botox to relieve jaw tension. “I was a tooth grinder,” she shared. “Got Botox in my jaw because my dentist recommended it and it’s changed my life. It’s changed my life.”
She continued: “I was a real teeth clencher. I clench my teeth because I don’t want what I’m thinking to come spilling out of my mouth.”
Kelly revealed that the treatment allowed her to reduce the amount of mouth accessories she had to wear at night to “upper and lower [retainers], no head-gear”.
Botox (Botulinum Toxin-A) works by blocking the signals that cause the jaw muscles to contract. While the masseter muscle is essential for chewing, it can sometimes become overdeveloped, leading to jaw clenching.
“This can result in a bulky appearance of the lower part of the face and symptoms such as headaches and jaw pain, commonly known as temporomandibular disorder,” aesthetic doctor, Dr Asha Chhaya, previously told us.
© Getty“Muscle relaxing injections are effective in slimming the face, but only if the masseter muscle is overdeveloped. If you clench your teeth and notice these muscles become more visible, muscle relaxing injections treatment could help,” shared Dr Asha.
“Typically masseter Botox can last from 4-6 months,” aesthetic doctor, Dr Wassim Taktouk, previously explained to us. “This depends on the individual, some can feel the benefits for a little longer.”
Mark Consuelos’ teeth transformation
Earlier this month, Mark revealed that he’s had a missing tooth for almost five decades. The host lost his tooth after he smashed his face into an obstacle course in the fourth grade – an incident he described as “very traumatic”.
© ABC“There was a certain time that I had to have an implant – because it was just done – I had enough trauma,” he shared, adding that he had to put a cap on it for several years.
However, it appears Mark isn’t embarrassed by his missing tooth. “I went toothless to this restaurant. I didn’t care. I looked funny!” he said. “He loves popping the tooth out to shock people. He becomes a different person entirely. It’s wild,” added Kelly.
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