There’s no question about how dependent I am on my iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac. I see them not just as gadgets, but as tools that help me stay connected with the world, become healthier, and stay productive throughout the day. After using the Oral-B iO Series 9, I felt exactly the same way. Just as the Apple Watch makes me more aware of my health and fitness, the iO9 electric toothbrush has helped me build the habit of maintaining good dental hygiene, especially at a time when visiting a dentist doesn’t come cheap. As I get older, I have also realised how important it is to keep my teeth in good shape.
I am sure many of you have tried electric toothbrushes in the past, but the one I have been using for the past couple of days is quite different from the usual rechargeable brushes. The iO9 is a premium smart toothbrush that does most of the “brushing” for you and uses artificial intelligence to analyse your brushing data, offering personalised tips to help improve your technique.
Sure, it’s much more expensive than other smart toothbrushes, but that higher cost does translate into better brushing habits something I hadn’t really cared about before using the iO9. It was a 360-degree change and made me care and interested in oral hygiene. I wouldn’t shy away from calling it my pocket-sized dental hygienist.
Here’s my review.
What: Oral-B iO Series 9 | Price: Rs 16,999
How I tested
I have used my Oral-B iO9 electric toothbrush for over a month, brushing twice daily – once in the morning and once at night before calling it a day. Many studies have shown that smart toothbrushes are better at removing bacteria. I haven’t verified this with a dentist myself, but I can say that there are a variety of electric toothbrushes available on the market, each with different features and internal components similar to modern smartphones.
The toothbrush was easy to hold and maneuver. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Each electric toothbrush is designed differently and comes at different price points. As a reviewer, one should evaluate an electric toothbrush based on brushing performance, battery life, and how frequently brush heads need to be replaced whether every three months or more often, as needed. One should also consider other features, such as the strength and responsiveness of pressure sensors, among others.
Fit and Finish
The moment you touch and hold the iO9, it feels like a luxury gadget. It was my first encounter with a high-end toothbrush, and it was both delightful and surprising. I travel a lot and often stay in luxury hotels, and this kind of toothbrush truly deserves a fancy bathroom.
You can then select your brushing mode by pressing the button. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
The iO9 is lightweight, but as I mentioned earlier, it has a certain heft and doesn’t feel like a cheap product. My unit was all black, giving the impression that it was thoughtfully designed and built to last. It comes with a magnetic charging stand and the brush also includes a sleek travel case. I kept the brush fully charged and simply slipped it into my toiletry bag.
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OLED screen and the app
The big difference between the iO9 and other electric toothbrushes from Oral-B is the built-in OLED screen. The OLED screen is full colour, which is useful and has a range of modes and settings.
Once you turn the toothbrush on, it greets you with an image of the sun and a friendly “hello.” You can then select your brushing mode by pressing the button and choosing from Daily Clean, Whitening, Sensitive, Super Sensitive, Gum Care, Tongue Clean, or Intense. The screen also gives you access to settings, including options to turn Bluetooth and the light ring on or off, as well as restore factory settings.
Typically, I stick with the Sensitive mode, but I also tried Gum Care and Whitening. The Sensitive mode feels gentle on my teeth and is perfect for everyday use. The more smart modes a toothbrush offers, the better. After all, having control over the toothbrush’s sensitivity level is important, as many users aren’t comfortable with strong vibrations.
The app creates a 3D teeth-tracking map that analyzes how well you cover the 16 zones of your mouth (Screenshot: Oral-B app)
When you start brushing, an on-screen timer tracks your progress through the two-minute brushing session. Each mode includes a timer, with the tooth-cleaning modes also featuring quarter-time alerts that cause the brush to buzz, letting you know it’s time to move to the next quadrant of your mouth (you should brush the top left, bottom left, top right, and bottom right for at least 30 seconds each). However, the buzzer doesn’t stop automatically at the two-minute mark and will continue to track your brushing time. The best part is that the countdown timer makes it easy to see how much time you have left to brush, a feature found in only a few smart toothbrushes. When you are done brushing, you will get feedback for your brushing in the form of a smiley or sad face.
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Another highlight of the app is the real-time feedback it provides while you brush. The app creates a 3D teeth-tracking map that analyzes how well you cover the 16 zones of your mouth and offers coaching based on your brushing habits. It closely monitors the pressure you apply, how long you brush, and your brushing goals (for example, fresh breath or plaque removal). Another interesting feature is its use of artificial intelligence to analyze the collected data and provide helpful tips on how to improve your brushing technique. I found this feature especially useful for people with sensitive dental needs or for those who don’t have easy access to professional oral care. The app also tracks your brushing history and gives you an overall percentage score based on how long you brushed, how much coverage you achieved, and whether you applied too much pressure.
Performance and battery life
While using the iO9 for more than a month, I focused on how easy it was to brush with the electric toothbrush, how it improved the overall user experience, how useful the different modes were, and ultimately, how my mouth felt after brushing. I placed extra emphasis on the comfort of brushing and took notes on the noticeable difference in how it felt to brush with the iO9 compared to a regular toothbrush.
Oral-B claims the iO9’s battery can last up to 14 days on a single charge. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Using the iO9 was straightforward for the most part. The toothbrush was easy to hold and maneuver. It features a “linear magnetic drive,” which sends controlled energy to the bristle tips and produces oscillation-rotations with micro-vibrations. This allows the toothbrush to quietly and gently oscillate across the teeth, breaking up plaque and cleaning effectively. The brush head included in the box has soft bristles with uniquely angled, tufted tips designed to reach hard-to-access areas. My gums never bled, and my teeth felt fresher and cleaner after brushing – not necessarily whiter. The toothbrush’s motor produces some noise when vibrating, but it isn’t annoyingly loud. The brush was also easy to clean, is water-resistant, and can be safely used in the shower.
Oral-B claims the iO9’s battery can last up to 14 days on a single charge. However, the OLED display consumes a lot of power, and in practice, you can typically get about 10 days of battery life between charges. Of course, this also depends on how frequently you use the iO9. In my case, I brushed twice every day.
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So, should you buy the Oral-B’s iO Series 9 electric toothbrush?
If you already have an electric toothbrush and are happy with it, there’s no need to consider upgrading. However, if you use a manual toothbrush and struggle to maintain good brushing habits, there is a reason to switch. Be prepared to pay a premium price of Rs 16,999 but the Oral-B iO Series 9 might be worth considering. Before spending Rs 17,000 on an electric toothbrush, ask yourself this: what is the cost of seeing a dentist in metro cities in India, and, God forbid, if a tooth develops an issue, how much will treatment cost? I have gone through this, and I would rather take care of my oral health on my own. The fact that the iO9 has pressure sensors and provides visual feedback makes it worth the cost, any day, compared to frequent visits to a dentist. At the end, the choice is yours.
