Different brushes have different features – and flaws. To get what you need, you might not have to spend as much as you think, as long as you know what to look out for. We’ve reviewed some of the best Oral-B brushes, so you can find the one that’s perfect for you. Check out the pros and cons of each one below. And if you want to find out more about the features on offer, have a look at our buying advice after the chart. If you’d like more options, have a look at our round-up of all the best electric toothbrushes we’ve tested, regardless of brand. And if you know the model you want, check out the best deals we’ve found on electric toothbrushes to see if we’ve spotted a discount on it.
Electric and smart toothbrush buying advice
If you’re buying an Oral-B toothbrush, these are the features to look out for. Bear in mind that when we’re discussing specific models and features, we’re generally referring to brushes available in the UK. Model names and features can vary from country to country.
Best value iO brush Powerful cleaning Good screen & app
Expensive replacement heads Relatively short battery life
Plus, we’d advise buying at its regularly discounted price of around £110. The iO range has Oral-B’s best-ever cleaning performance, and the iO6 has five cleaning modes, a brushing timer and a light-up pressure sensor ring. It’s also app-compatible for real-time brushing feedback. The main compromises, when compared to more expensive iO models, are the monochrome screen (the iO8 and above have a full colour display) and a more basic charging dock. There are fewer brushing modes as well. We’re not as keen on the fact that a brush at this price point doesn’t have a USB charging option, and the battery life could be much better. You’ll only get 10 days of use – or less if you brush for longer than two minutes at a time.
Two week battery life Pressure sensor Brushing timer Good cleaning performance
Noisy Slippery handle Button hard to press
This electric toothbrush has a brushing timer that alerts you every thirty seconds to move onto a new section of your mouth and lets you know when your dentist-approved two-minute brushing session has finished. It also has a bright red pressure warning light that lets you know if you’re pressing too hard. Although we think it’s great value, we don’t love everything about it: charging takes a long 12 hours; its battery warning light doesn’t give you much brushing time; and it doesn’t stop after two minutes, so you’ll need to give its inset button a hard press to switch it off.
Best app feedback outside of the iO brush range
App feedback makes it hard to share brush handle
It claims to be AI-driven, but we think this is pushing it a bit. However, it does feature intelligent position detection technology, so it can tell where in your mouth you’re brushing. If you tend to neglect harder-to-reach areas of your mouth, this brush could put you back on track. It cleans brilliantly, has six brushing modes and a pressure sensor. The only issue is that if the handle is shared, and more than one person wants to use the app to keep track of brushing stats, you’ll have to be diligent about taking your phone along to your brushing sessions, as otherwise info can be synced to the wrong account.
Full colour OLED screen Brushing feedback Excellent cleaning performance
Short battery life Underwhelming accessories
It’s slick, feature-packed and slightly over-the-top, with a full-colour OLED screen that greets you in the morning and flashes you a smile if you brush well. But it also has Oral-B’s best brush tracking technology, seven brushing settings and a light-up pressure sensor that not only tells you when you’re pressing too hard but when you get it just right. And when it times your brushing session, it provides a countdown timer on the brush handle screen so you can see exactly how long you have left. Apart from brushing feedback, most of the rest of the app functions feel like filler. But that’s okay because the OLED screen allows you to ditch the app and still enjoy most of its features. On the negative side, the iO9’s battery life is not as good as some competing brushes at this price point and you’ll be lucky to get more than 10 days of use before it needs to be charged.
Two week battery life Pressure sensor Brushing timer Good cleaning performance
Only 2 brushing modes Battery light comes on just as it's failing
It’s around the same price point, perhaps even a little cheaper. It only has two brushing modes (daily clean and sensitive) instead of three, but you’ll get the same pressure sensor and brushing timer. It has the same flaws as well. It takes around 12 hours to charge and you’ll only be notified by the battery light right when it’s giving up the ghost.
Good cleaning performance App feedback
Feedback is less advanced than Genius X or iO
The difference between the 8000 and 9000 Series brushes are minor: colour options and additional cleaning modes (the 9000 has a deeper cleaning mode and a tongue care mode). `As these are slightly older brushes, prices can vary a lot. We’d suggest shopping around and looking for deals before you buy. Use the brush with the app and you’ll get feedback on how long you brushed for and if you pressed too hard on your teeth. It also has position detection software, but it’s not as accurate or detailed as Genius X or iO brushes.
Brushing timer Grippy handle Good price
Oscillates only No battery light No pressure alert
It’s one of the few Oral-B brushes that only oscillates – this is Oral-B’s “2D cleaning system”. Unlike the other brushes in this round-up, it doesn’t use sonic vibrations at all, which seriously impacts its cleaning performance. It has a brushing timer, but it lacks a pressure sensor. And there’s no battery light, which makes it hard to tell if it’s charging properly when you set it in its stand. However, if your budget is tight, this will serve you much better than a manual brush. It’ll ensure you brush for long enough and its oscillation-based cleaning will give your teeth a bit of an extra polish.
Timer
Dentists recommend you brush for two minutes twice a day, but it can be difficult to judge how long that is. It’s easy to zone out while brushing and not brush for long enough. Even 15 seconds can feel like a long time. That’s why all Oral-B brushes have a brushing timer. These brushes will do the hard work for you by letting you know when you can (finally) stop. They’ll also alert you to move on to a new section of your mouth every 30 seconds. Most people spend too long on certain parts of their mouth and neglect other areas, typically, the harder-to-reach back teeth. This can lead to gum disease and tooth decay in those areas. A timer may be the most important feature on your electric toothbrush – except maybe for a pressure sensor.
Pressure sensor
It’s easy to think you’re brushing better if you’re brushing harder and to try to scrub your teeth clean. But this bad habit can damage tooth enamel and gums. A pressure sensor will light up or make a sound if you push too hard against your teeth. Most Oral-B brushes feature a pressure sensor, except for the most budget-friendly models.
Cleaning modes
The pricier models will also have different brushing modes. Typically, there will be a button on the handle that’ll let you toggle between deep cleaning, whitening, tongue care, polishing and gum care, or other similar settings. Some brushes have a dedicated mode for sensitive teeth, while others let you change the intensity levels of other modes.
Brush head replacement
You probably know that you should change your toothbrush head every three months. But do you remember to do it? Some Oral-B smart brushes will alert you when you need to switch to a new brush head.
Battery life
All the Oral-B brushes we’ve tested charge via a shaving socket plug. We’d love to see one with a USB charger, as this makes it easier when travelling. This is especially the case because Oral-B brushes don’t tend to excel when it comes to battery life, with most offering a maximum of two weeks. The iO brush battery life is even shorter.
Bristles
Oral-B has different options when it comes to brushing heads. Its standard brush heads are the Precision Clean and the CrossAction, which has angled bristles. But the brand also makes brush heads for sensitive teeth and brightening brush heads, which feature a rubber cup in the centre, to polish teeth. These brush heads will fit any of the key types of Oral-B brush – Genius, Smart, Pro and Vitality models – except for the iO range. The iO is completely different to the rest of the Oral-B brushes and it features a redesigned brush head. There are two widely available options: the Ultimate Clean (available in black or white) and the Gentle Care. iO brush heads are significantly more expensive, at around £6-£7 each, against about £2.20 for the standard brush heads. But you can also buy generic, compatible brush heads for the standard brushes, which are even more cost-effective at about £1 each. There are lots of different types of these available, and they may vary in quality.
Oral-B brush movements
There are several levels of cleaning technique among different types of Oral-B brush. The budget-friendly Vitality delivers what the brand calls “2D cleaning”, which means that the brush has an oscillating-rotating motion. Higher tier brushes provide “3D cleaning”, which means that the rotating motion is joined by a high frequency sonic pulse, which helps to break down plaque and delivers a better cleaning performance. The iO brushes have been completely redesigned, and their cleaning performance has been overhauled, but like the better standard brushes, they clean using both oscillations and micro-vibrations. Let’s be clear: we think the that Oral-B’s 3D cleaning system is more than good enough: if you have a good brushing technique, it’ll serve you well. But having tried both, we think that the iO’s cleaning performance is even better.
App-compatible smart brushes
There are several types of app-connected smart Oral-B brushes. Their main function is to provide feedback on your brushing technique, to help you to get good coverage of your teeth. iO brushes will provide more detailed feedback – and in real-time as well. Emma is Home Tech Editor at Tech Advisor. She covers everything from kitchen appliances to smart home devices, from floor care to personal care to air care technology. She’s particularly interested in environmentally conscious brands and products that save people time and money.
