Everyone wants perfect teeth and the latest Oral-B iO toothbrush claims to offer a new era of brushing technology, design and experience to deliver a professional clean feeling at home – but would you pay £500 for it?
The latest all-singing, all-dancing electric toothbrush, which is set to launch on August 1, provides 3D graphics and artificial intelligence AI Brushing Recognition technology that claims to guide users toward 100 percent brushing area completion.
The gadget also provides a new detailed insight into brushing habits, even down to the pressure and coverage applied on each tooth – but it comes with a £500 hefty price tag.
While some may argue you can’t put a price on that perfect Hollywood smile, others might question whether a two-minute part of your everyday routine is really worth the cost of a holiday.
Here, FEMAIL puts each of the features – including the interactive colour display, smart pressure sensor, visual timer and magnetic charger – to the test…
The Oral-B iO toothbrush, priced at £500, features artificial intelligence that recognises all areas within your mouth, interactive colour display, smart pressure sensor, visual timer and a magnetic charger (pictured)
The artificial intelligence toothbrush boasts a smart pressure sensor (pictured) and interactive colour display
THE INTERACTIVE COLOUR DISPLAY
Claim: It enables easy navigation through the brush features and cleaning modes including welcome greetings, choice of brushing modes, language settings and selection of cleaning modes, including sensitive, deep clean and whitening.
Verdict: Coming from someone who is far from tech-savvy, I found the interactive colour display extremely simple to navigate – and stress-free which is rare for me as far as technology is concerned!
The device features a choice of brushing modes available to suit a variety of individual needs, making each clean an experience that can really be tailored to your personal journey and requirements.
Due to the sensitivity of my gums, I found the sensitive brush mode particularly useful for a quick brush when in a rush, but the toothbrush also features a longer two-week teeth whitening journey – perfect for those seeking that A-list smile,
Rating: 10/10
THE SMART PRESSURE SENSOR
Claim: Guides users to apply optimal cleaning pressure. The sensor warns of overpressure with a red light and indicates in green when users are applying the optimal cleaning pressure, maximising the effectiveness of the iconic round brush head, inspired by dentist tools.
Verdict: I personally found the smart pressure sensor one of the most useful features on the electric toothbrush.
It highlighted that I had previously been pressing far too lightly with my previous toothbrush through fear it’d cause my gums to bleed. I was very surprised to learn quite how much pressure was advised to be applied to each tooth.
Simple and easy to follow, the smart pressure sensor turns green for the correct pressure, white for too light, and red for too hard – an easy system for the user to get their heads around – even me!
Rating: 10/10
THE MAGNETIC CHARGER
Claim: The magnetic charger provides a fast, full charge in just three hours. The brush display provides an easy-to-read battery strength indicator.
Verdict: While my toothbrush did indeed charge in under three hours, it’s hard to say whether the charger will remain as effective in the long-term.
If my experience with phones is anything to go by, the battery power tends to lessen the longer you have it – but only time will tell!
One thing I will say though, is that when I first used the toothbrush after the battery was fully charged, the battery power did jump down by 10% after just one clean. I’m yet to find out just how regularly the toothbrush would need charging.
Rating: 7/10
TECHNOLOGY
Claim: A first for brushing technology, the iO clean – a clean that users will feel all day long, every day – is the result of Oral-B iO’s new frictionless magnetic drive, which distributes energy evenly to the tips of the bristles to create the new, revolutionary gentle micro-vibrations.
When oscillation rotation is combined with micro-vibrations, the brush glides tooth by tooth for a smooth and quiet experience.
Verdict: On first using the toothbrush, I was shocked by just how smooth my teeth felt after a two minute clean.
I was initially dubious and thought perhaps it was because it was a new toothbrush head and the bristles were fresher compared to the more worn down one I had been using.
However, after a solid week or so of testing the toothbrush, my teeth continued to feel like they had undergone a deep clean – with that very feeling lasting right up until the end of the day.
I was pleasantly surprised at just how effective the brushing technology was, and wrongly assumed the cleanliness of my teeth would wear off straight after a snack.
Rating: 10/10
The Oral-B app provides 3D graphics (pictured) and the AI Brushing Recognition technology with artificial intelligence recognises all areas within the mouth
ORAL-B APP
Claim: The new Oral-B app provides 3D graphics and the AI Brushing Recognition technology with artificial intelligence recognises all areas within the mouth, guiding users toward 100 percent brushing area completion.
Verdict: The detail in the app is second-to-none and boasts a 3D graphic which highlights the percentage of the outside, chewing and inside areas of your teeth you have reached during each clean.
As you move the toothbrush along your teeth, you can see the movement working in real-time on the app – helping to highlight the specific areas you’re missing as and when you’re cleaning,
Saying that, I did find one slight downfall. After one week of trialling the toothbrush, I didn’t hit higher than 73% coverage – despite always starting with the areas I missed on my previous clean.
I do wonder whether it is even possible to achieve 100% coverage – but perhaps I’m just not thorough enough with my clean. As they say, there’s always room for improvement!
Rating: 7/10
The toothbrush comes with a magnetic charger that claims to charge the appliance within three hours (pictured)
THE VISUAL TIMER
Claim: Provides personalised guidance for users to reach their best clean yet. The timer tracks each brushing session duration, so users know when they have brushed for the dentist-recommended two minutes.
Smiley icons on the display lets users know if they have achieved their goal.
Verdict: The visual timer appears on the screen of the toothbrush, or you can alternatively open the app on your phone and have the recommended two-minute countdown on the clock in front of you.
I personally believe it would be better if the toothbrush would beep or notify me in some other way when the advised cleaning time is up because the screen is at quite an awkward angle to look at while the toothbrush is in your mouth.
Due to the high technology of the toothbrush, it is almost certainly going to purchased by adults, rather bought for children.
For this reason, I found the smiley icons that appear to let you know if you have achieved your goal quite childish and a little unnecessary. Saying that, it is a simplistic and easy way to notify you when your goal is accomplished – convenient if you’re in a hurry.
Rating: 8/10
The ORAL-B iOTM Series 9 is available 1st August 2020 at Amazon.co.uk and Boots.com; available in store at Boots mid-August 2020