About Oral-B

Oral-B sells electric toothbrushes, and the thing to get right before ordering is not which model looks best but which brush heads it takes.

The brush head trap

This catches people constantly, so it goes first. The iO range uses its own brush heads and nothing else fits. Every other line, including Pro, Vitality, Smart and the older Genius, uses the familiar round heads that are interchangeable between them. Buying an iO handle means committing to the more expensive head supply for the life of the brush, and the heads are the real ongoing cost, not the handle. Work out the price of a year of replacements before choosing the range.

What the ranges actually differ in

Moving up the numbers buys extra cleaning modes, a display, more detailed feedback and quieter, smoother motors. What it does not buy is a fundamentally different clean: the basic and the flagship both oscillate and both remove more plaque than brushing by hand. The features worth paying for are the ones you will use, and for most people that is the pressure sensor.

Pressure, timing and technique

Brushing too hard is the most common mistake, and it wears enamel and recedes gums over years. The visible pressure sensor lights up when you press too hard, which is the single most useful feature on the whole range. The built-in timer covers the recommended two minutes split across the mouth. An electric brush is guided rather than scrubbed: hold it against each tooth and let it work rather than moving it like a manual brush.

When the saving is actually on the handle

Handles are discounted heavily and often, particularly around seasonal sales, while heads rarely drop by much. Multipacks of heads are where the real saving sits. Check what is in the box, since a travel case, a charger and spare heads make a substantial difference to the value between two otherwise similar bundles. Anyone with gum disease, recent dental work or sensitivity should follow their dentist's advice on which head and mode to use rather than the packaging.