Oral-B iO Series 9 Electric Toothbrush Review – Smart Real-Time Feedback

If you don’t know already, Oral-B is the world’s biggest and best electric toothbrush manufacturer who has since graced the community with innovative teeth-cleaning technologies including gum-pressure sensors, AI power, and app-support.

The latest iO Series was deemed the biggest innovation in the history of oral care (by Oral-B) and has become a cult favorite since. 

With that, I decided to give the Oral-B iO Series 9 a try to see if it’s really worth the hype. The smart toothbrush promises to take the regular brushing routine to a whole new level with its pressure sensors and clear real-time feedback (both on the brush itself and via its app). Read on for my comprehensive Oral-B iO Series 9 electric toothbrush review.

oral-b io series 9 electric toothbrush review

What is the Oral-B iO Series 9?

oral-b io series 9 electric toothbrush review

The Oral-B iO Series 9 is an app-enabled electric toothbrush with several different settings for a wide range of brushes. The interactive color display is easy to read, and syncing it with the Oral-B app on your smartphone provides useful insights on your brushing habits. It features a round brush head to cover tooth surfaces and angle bristle pattern to help provide a deeper clean in spaces between teeth. This electric toothbrush is especially great for those looking for versatility and are fond of the idea of having a more bespoke brushing routine.

Size

The larger your toothbrush, the harder for you to get it into harder-to-reach areas of your mouth like your upper back teeth and lower front teeth. The Oral-B iO Series features a 0.5 by 0.75 inches round toothbrush that moves comfortably and seamlessly within my mouth.

It’s also extremely lightweight and slender, not to mention its magnetic charging stand is barely wider than its base. The brush also includes a sleek charging travel case to recharge the brush via the base. 

Bristle Stiffness

In order to mitigate the risk of gingival injury, the ADA recommends using a soft-bristled brush. The Oral-B iO Series 9 includes four iO Ultimate Clean round replacement brush heads, each with unique angled, tufted bristles. The design of thinner bristles with longer and shorter lengths is layered to target hard-to-reach areas of the mouth more effectively. The brush heads are of standard softness (but not too soft); however, when used as instructed, I find that my gums never bleed (unlike when I use my manual toothbrush). My gums feel squeaky clean but not tender after, perhaps due to the brush’s advanced micro-vibration. 

Bespoke Settings

The Oral-B iO Series 9 is a real plus for the wide range of settings it offers, including a self-timer, pressure sensor, and customizable brushing modes. These have eliminated a lot of the guesswork in my cleaning, which allows me to brush in confidence.

Seven Cleaning Modes

Featuring an interactive color display, you’re allowed to select from seven different cleaning modes, which involves daily clean, whitening, gum care, sensitive, intense, super sensitive, and tongue clean. If you have sensitive teeth and gum, the sensitive setting is already gentle enough for day-to-day use, though it’s nice to opt for the super sensitive option occasionally. 

Quad Timer

Once you go in with your brush cycle with a push of the button, the quad timer kicks in, meaning that every 30 seconds, the brush vibrates to signal that you switch brushing another quadrant of your mouth. This also helps you keep track of the amount of time you’ve spent brushing on the interactive color display, and once you’ve hit the recommended two minutes, the brush vibrates twice to alert you that you’re done.

Bimodal Smart Pressure Sensor and Personalized Feedback

Two features of this toothbrush I swear by, are its bimodal smart pressure sensor and personalized feedback. At the base of the brush head is a ring of light that changes to red whenever I’m brushing too hard; white if I’m brushing too softly; and green whenever I’m using just the right amount of pressure. You’ll be impressed by the level of responsiveness a toothbrush can provide, and rest assured that it’ll make all the difference.

Oral-B App

Last but not least, this brush syncs via Bluetooth with the smart Oral-B app. It even creates a 3D teeth-tracking map that analyzes the coverage you give to the 16 zones of your teeth while brushing, all while guiding you through your brushing behaviours. On top of that, it keeps an eye on the pressure you apply, how long you brush, and what your goals are (whitening, fresh breath, plaque fighting, just to name a few). 

Oscillating Motion

Oscillating refers to the action whereby the bristles travel back and forth a certain distance to destroy plaque and debris. The Oral-B iO Series 9 is equipped with something called a “linear magnetic drive” which sends controlled energy to the bristle tips of the brush and produces oscillation-rotations with micro-vibrations. The smart toothbrush quietly, powerfully, and gently oscillates across your teeth to disrupt plaque, and rest assured that it works.

Battery Life

I found the battery life to be totally sufficient. For my case, it lasted 10 days on one charge. Though this is on the lower end for the category, it still delivered seamlessly throughout a battery cycle without compromising the intensity. It also works particularly well for travelling up to a week if you don’t want to bring along a charger.

Cost

The Oral-B iO Series 9 is currently being retailed for $299.94 (as of 31/5/2023). Though it’s on the higher end of the spectrum, your purchase nicely includes four brush heads, which will save you around $60 to $80.

ADA Seal of Acceptance

All of Oral-B’s iO Series toothbrushes, including the iO Series 9, have all been awarded the ADA Seal of Acceptance, thus gaining a huge vote of confidence amongst the community, dentists, and professionals alike.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • It offers seven cleaning modes including a handy tongue-cleaning mode.
  • It comes with 3D tracking technology that provides real-time feedback and supervised brushing sessions to make sure you don’t miss a single spot.
  • The pressure sensor includes a visible light around the handle that switches from green to red whenever you’re brushing too hard and from green to white whenever you’re brushing too soft.
  • It comes with a time to help you brush for 2 minutes.
  • Quieter compared to its predecessors. 
  • Battery life lasts up to two weeks and you can fully charge it in just a few hours.
  • It comes with a sleek travel case that doubles as a charger and allows you to store the handle and brush head.
  • It allows you to preselect and customize your brushing session prior to switching on the toothbrush.

Cons:

  • The handle is only compatible with brush replacements from the iO models.
  • Brush replacements are pricey
  • It only offers one intensity level
  • Pricey

Oral-B iO Series 9 Electric Toothbrush Review – Do I Recommend It?

If you’ve ever experienced the gratification of a solid car wash, that’s precisely how my teeth felt and looked after using the Oral-B iO Series 9. I’ve experimented with multiple electric toothbrushes throughout my life, but I’ve stopped with this one. Thanks to its smart pressure sensors and visual feedback, I got to brush with the appropriate amount of force and for far longer than I used to before. As a matter of fact, I didn’t brush at all: I was just hovering while my Oral-B iO Series 9 did all the job for me. On top of that, I only have to charge my brush every eight days or so. Yes, it’s definitely one of the pricier options, but I personally think it’s well worth the cost of finally learning how to brush my teeth properly. Hands down, the best electric toothbrush I’ve tried. 

To conclude, yes, I recommend you to try it out.

Celine So

Celine So

Be mindful of your words as they are impactful, which also explains why I am so fond of writing.

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