Oral-B iO Series 9 in a long-term test: The top class toothbrush

Electric toothbrushes have been establishing themselves more and more over the past few years. Dentists are also leaving more and more manual toothbrushes on the shelf. With the Oral-B iO Series 9N you want to offer something more than a normal electric toothbrush. In this test, we clarify whether the purchase is worthwhile.

In this long-term test, I will share my experiences of the past few months using the iO Series 9 on a daily basis. Through this long-term test, I was able to get enough opinions from dentists, and the brush head had to be replaced during the months of the test. So what can Oral-B's flagship toothbrush do? Let's put it this way - with the relatively high RRP, you don't necessarily set the bar low. We got the best out of the Oral-B iO Series 9 in the test.

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Unpack

The high-end toothbrush from Oral-B comes in a packaging that already gives an idea of ​​most of the details from the outside. The scope of delivery includes a charging station, a travel case including a charging cable, an "Ultimate Cleaning" brush head, a storage option for two brush heads and the handpiece, i.e. the toothbrush itself. The buyer can choose from black onyx, white alabaster and rose quartz as color variants . In the meantime, the price has also dropped significantly, from almost 400 euros to around 200 euros. So it is now all the more worthwhile to take a closer look at the toothbrush.

Image: © 2021 TechnikNews

Image: © 2021 TechnikNews

Image: © 2021 TechnikNews

Setting up

Thanks to the built-in Bluetooth, you can already guess that the Toothbrush works with an app. Of course, it can also be operated in standalone mode without an app. However, there is no visual display during cleaning and cleaning feedback. We will go into more detail on all functions in this test below. If you take the toothbrush in your hand, you will always be greeted on the display with a friendly "Hello", "Good morning" or "Good evening".

After switching on for the first time, you set up the preferred color of the light ring in addition to selecting the language. You can then continue directly with the start in the app. Bluetooth is active on the toothbrush by default, but can be deactivated in the settings. A new device can also be paired from there. A software update is usually required during the initial setup - yes, toothbrushes will also receive updates in 2021 - but this is done in less than two minutes.

Then you can get started - an introduction to the app quickly shows all the functions that are possible in connection with the smartphone.

Image: © 2021 TechnikNews

Image: © 2021 TechnikNews

Image: © 2021 TechnikNews

Try it out

Print check

Too much pressure when brushing is bad for the gums. If the pressure is too little, the teeth will not be cleaned thoroughly. The optimal pressure is even more important with an electric toothbrush due to the self-rotating bristles compared to a manual toothbrush. While most electric toothbrushes come with this feature, they only alert you when you're applying too much pressure. Oral-B's iO Series 9 comes with a total of three displays. The LED ring lights up either neutral (too little pressure), green (optimal pressure) or red (too much pressure).

There are different brush heads to choose from for the Series 9. (Image: © 2021 TechnikNews)

If the gums are sensitive, even this "optimal pressure" can be too much. Here you can either use the "Sensitive Clean" brushes or simply choose the right pressure yourself. Incidentally, this optimal pressure cannot be adjusted in the settings of the toothbrush.

Display

The color display on the front is used to select the cleaning mode, display the timer and offers a few basic settings. The charge status is also displayed after each cleaning process.

Cleaning modes

The iO Series 9 has a total of seven cleaning modes available. With the predecessor (iO 8) there were fewer. The user can choose between "Daily Clean", "Sensitive", "Whiten", "Gum Care", "Intense", "Super Sensitive" and "Tongue Clean". The display order can be adjusted in the app. "Daily Clean" is recommended for normal use, the sensitive modes for gum problems and the "Whiten" or "Intense" modes for tooth discoloration or more thorough cleaning. A more detailed explanation of the modes in the app would still be a point of improvement.

Basically, however, it can be said that the "Whiten" and "Intense" modes are cleaned more than in the other modes. Also means that these are not recommended for daily use, as you can quickly insult your gums with them. The sensitive modes ensure a pleasant cleaning experience for those who wear braces or have sensitive gums.

Cleaning tracking

The highlight of Oral-B's electric toothbrush. If you connect the toothbrush to the app from the store, you get a visual view of the areas in the mouth that need to be brushed. The term "3D tooth surface tracking" used by the manufacturer may sound a bit confusing - no, the display is not personalized. For example, if you have more or fewer teeth than usual, they will not be shown.

In the test, the tracking of the current cleaning position in the mouth mostly worked well. In some cases, however, cleaning was done in the top left, then the cleaning process was displayed in the top right. A few updates have more or less gotten these minor problems under control. Due to a bug, however, the timer often did not start on time, which, interestingly enough, the app even recognized itself. The message was displayed that full coverage may not be achieved due to missing recording.

Even if after a while you start the app less often when cleaning and therefore don't use the tracking, it makes you aware of where you tend to forget to clean. A good tip from dentists is to always stick to the KAI method (chewing surfaces first, then outer surfaces and finally the inner surfaces).

Clean

With App

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It should be clear how brushing your teeth basically works. If not, the Oral-B iO Series 9 can also help you here. Activate Bluetooth on the smartphone, start the app, select the cleaning mode on the toothbrush, press the start button and the timer should start in the app. With cleaning tracking, the toothbrush automatically recognizes which area of ​​the mouth you are currently cleaning and whether you are cleaning the chewing surface, the outside or the inside. If all lines have disappeared and all teeth are shiny, then you have successfully cleaned all areas. Then just switch off the toothbrush and the app should show a score of 100/100. If not, there is feedback and motivation for improvement.

Sometimes things don't go as planned in the Oral-B app either. (Image: © 2021 TechnikNews)

After brushing your teeth, the app provides feedback on the past session. (Image: © 2021 TechnikNews)

Reminder to change the brush head. (Image: © 2021 TechnikNews)

Overview of the status of the brush head. (Image: © 2021 TechnikNews)

There are rewards for diligent cleaning in the form of medals. (Image: © 2021 TechnikNews)

Guided dental care instructions for various purposes. (Image: © 2021 TechnikNews)

Image: © 2021 TechnikNews

Image: © 2021 TechnikNews

Without app

If you want to brush your teeth without an app, that is also possible. Then, however, only the imprint control and a timer are available on the display. In addition, the handpiece vibrates every 30 seconds - an indicator to change the cleaning area. It should then take a maximum of two minutes to clean four areas (top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right). This is the brushing time recommended by Oral-B. In addition, most dentists also see two minutes as the optimal brushing time for electric toothbrushes.

Feeling of cleaning

Admittedly, I might be a bit biased when it comes to Oral-B: So far, I've also cleaned with an Oral-B electric toothbrush. My old model lasted for years, but back then it didn't offer any extra functions such as imprint control, let alone an app. After switching to the iO toothbrush, my teeth felt much cleaner after each brushing. This was not only a subjective feeling, my dentist was also able to confirm the improvement after a few months of use compared to before. The new magnetic drive of the brush head, which is only used in the iO series, is to blame for this and allows more vibrations than ever before, according to the manufacturer.

Charging

The battery life in my test was around 14 days, sometimes even a little longer. My brushing times were twice a day for two to three minutes. After each brushing process, the charge level is indicated directly on the toothbrush as a percentage. However, this display does not yet appear to be fully developed, so the battery level stops at 100 percent a few times at the beginning and falls more and more quickly when it reaches the 50 percent mark. A more even display would have been desirable here.

The charging station makes a good picture in the bathroom. (Image: © 2021 TechnikNews)

Conclusion

At a price of 400 euros - even if the toothbrush performs top, the cleaning performance is excellent and the functions offered work well in most cases - the Oral-B iO Series 9 would only be been hard to recommend. After all, we're talking about "just" a toothbrush. This price is simply too high even for a premium toothbrush. According to the price comparison, the price of the iO Series 9 is currently around 200 euros. I think this price is right. Sure, even if this price may still seem high, you don't get an ordinary electric toothbrush here, you're definitely in the top class. Those who value extra functions such as an app, a pleasant cleaning experience and great accessories will also be happy to spend their money here.

Image: © 2021 TechnikNews

With the supplied accessories, it can also be cleaned on the go , ... (Image: © 2021 TechnikNews)

... but there could have been a rechargeable battery or a practical USB-C plug in the travel case. (Image: © 2021 TechnikNews)

But there is still room for improvement in the premier class: One should consider, for example, that the brush heads used up to now no longer work with the iO series, since these are now driven magnetically and no longer mechanically. In addition, while ten brush heads cost around 15-20 euros in the old models, two in the iO series cost the same. Also, the cleaning recognition didn't work accurately in some cases - but after a while you get the hang of how the handpiece has to be held so that it works as best as possible.

Thanks to Oral-B for providing the test device!

Buy Oral-B iO Series 9

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