Oral-B iO Series Brush Heads Explained

[@krishnaprasadk5836]

Even Oral B didn't explain it this well sir, I think they should simply pay you and send this video link in all of their documentation. Great videos, please keep them going

[@ElectricTeeth]

Thank you very much! 😁

[@tessas]

Just got an iO brush because my dentist says I brush too hard (and the brush has a pressure sensor), but I had no idea what brush heads to buy. This was EXTREMELY helpful. Thorough and clear. THANK YOU!!!

[@ElectricTeeth]

Pleased to read you found this video helpful.

[@beugie101]

Thank you for this! This is the ONLY source I have been able to find anywhere online that finally told me what the different brush heads that came with my io3 were for! One just had a crescent moon picture on the bottom where it attaches, the other a flag - and nowhere did it say what either one was or what they did differently! Now I know the moon one is gentle care and the flag one is ultimate clean! Thanks again for the informative video that tells me more about the product I just bought than the product itself does!

[@ElectricTeeth]

So pleased to read that this video helped you. 😀

[@charon1601]

The best and clear explanation of each Oral-B E-brush heads. Well done bro😊

[@ElectricTeeth]

Thank you so much 😀

[@M.L.7]

Your videos are truly unmatched, in my opinion!! Thank you, and please carry on!!! Blessings!

[@ElectricTeeth]

Thank you for the kind words, it means more than you realise. Glad you have found them helpful.

[@plausibledeniability2941]

I was slowly loosing my mind trying to get clear information on the brush heads for the io series. You were the Hero I needed. Thank you! 🙏🏼

[@ElectricTeeth]

You're very welcome!

[@Sashik]

I imagine, how you could you not wait to make this video. Well, I definitely do was waiting for it. 😁 Thanks. Very detailed and informative review.

[@Gadgetonomy]

This has been incredibly useful and has most likely saved me money too!

[@ElectricTeeth]

So pleased I could help.

[@theartofnicknames]

Thank you so much for this video! This is exactly the information I was looking for, and couldn't find it anywhere else!

[@ElectricTeeth]

Glad it was helpful!

[@isaacogunmuko3947]

Maybe Oral B would create more similar heads for the IO. The are Similar to the Original Ortho head, Trizone, or Floss Action heads. Ultimate Clean= Cross Action Gentle Care= Sensitive/Ultra Sensitive Radiant White = Pro White Targeted Clean= Power Tip

[@EGWL93]

Thabk you for the great explanation! I was wondering what was the icons mean at the bottom of the brush heads.

[@ItsDarkRightNow]

uploaded just when i wanted to buy it!

[@clairephillips2025]

Well done great video. Found out exactly the information I needed.

[@ElectricTeeth]

I am really pleased to read that you found it helpful. Thanks for commenting and letting me know. It makes it all so worthwhile. ☺️

[@cerberus840]

I understood that the cross action is the same as the ultimate clean, but the cross action is softer.

[@nettiek3806]

Thank you! Never had an electric brush before and just unwrapped my io8 - I now understand why each brush head has a different symbol on it but once the heads are out of the packaging, apart from the slight difference in how the brush heads look, I’m finding it difficult to tell which is the ultimate clean head which came with the brush and which is the gentle one that I also. ordered. Maybe it’s just me!

[@Yournansaman]

The ultimate clean head are more angled than the gentle care ones, the gentle care are more straight.

[@steveb9713]

Thanks for the clear explanations, much appreciated

[@leonprez231]

Hi there. Great video. Just one question please. Is it possible for the oi toothbrush to use and store data (usage before needing to be replaced) for two different toothbrushes? Example I want to use the ultimate clean head for the day and the gentle clean head at night. Can it simultaneously track both heads lifespan until it needs replacing? Many thanks

[@ElectricTeeth]

Good question. It can only track one head at a time as I am aware. As you have to manually tell it when you have replaced the head.

[@learnerinfinance]

Hello, I am not able to find the specialized / targeted clean brush head for IO series in Canada. It seems that Amazon etc. and even oral B Canadian website don't have this brush head available at all for Canada location. Link given here in youtube video description doesn't lead to this brush head either. Could you please help me here! Thanks so much!

[@ElectricTeeth]

Hi. Yes, you are correct. It's not listed as yet on Oral-B Canada or Amazon. It has only launched relatively recently, so it might just be taking some time for it to roll out to Canada, although it is available in the USA. I am not sure if you can find a US based seller that would be willing to ship to Canada. I can't advise specifically as to whom.

[@johannpopper1493]

I just got an iO 3, and I'm 100% confused about what's what. This Oral-B thing is way too complicated with no reasonable info in the manual. Why is it round if it doesn't fully rotate? Why don't they put the head icon definitions in the included manual? I'm baffled, and already lost all patience for it. I just want to brush my teeth. This is lunacy.

[@edewar6004]

You are overthinking it. Just use the toothbrush, it works well. They are good effective toothbrushes, which head you use is not so important so long as it's compatible. Use a normal brush setting, the settings just alter the amount of time between indicator pulses telling you when to switch to a different part of the mouth. They are just a guide indicator. Much cheaper compatible 3rd party heads are also available these days if you search for io compatible heads you'll find them. The cleaning action comes from the rapid oscillations of the head, if it was spinning 360°at high speed you'd be stripping the skin from your gums.

[@johannpopper1493]

@@edewar6004 Sounds like Oral-B overthought it, not me! But I'll just use it and look at all the pretty lights flashing different colors.

[@edewar6004]

Yes all the stuff about heads is needlessly complicated but it's not so important and it does work really well. I do find the green/red light for brushing pressure pretty useful too.

[@johannpopper1493]

@@edewar6004 Just used it. Good lord, it was like a jet engine in my mouth. It felt dangerous. But now I feel clean, so....

[@datrumpet5]

Which IO head is the equivalent to the old floss action? I am missing this one due better getting around many crooked teeth on the bottom. Thank you for your video

[@ElectricTeeth]

The Ultimate Clean is you best bet. However, none of the iO heads are like the FlossAction.

[@RunFaster011]

On the iO series heads the toothpaste leaks into the hole on the head and causes a mess, any tricks to help with this?

[@ElectricTeeth]

Causes a mess in that is splashes everywhere or makes a mess inside the head? We recommend rinsing it thoroughly after use.

[@Nick-gr1rc]

#ElectricTeeth, the io9 comes with a brush head holder with cover and holes at the back. For hygiene reasons, when finish brushing do you remove the brush head from the toothbrush and place it in the holder. There are no instructions about the brush head holder. So I’m uncertain if I keep the brush on the electric tooth brush or remove and place on the holder?

[@ElectricTeeth]

It is up to you, no rule on what you have and should do. I generally rinse my head and handle after use and leave the head on the handle. If you can leave the head completely detached and in/on the brush head stand that would probably be the 'ideal' route to go, but some lack countertop space etc to place this stand.

[@Nick-gr1rc]

@@ElectricTeeth so have the brush head on the brush head stand without the cover on top, even though the cover has holes on the back?

[@ElectricTeeth]

Sorry, no I meant, detached from the handle and on the stand with the cover. Whether you have the cover on or not, its up to you. With it off it will likely dry quicker. Its up to you.

[@Ka_T_ya]

Do you clean them the same way as the other oral b electric brush heads ? Every time after using and washing the brush head ,then pulling the brush head out and washing the inside part ?

[@ElectricTeeth]

Yes

[@Ka_T_ya]

@@ElectricTeeth I found your video where you explain it in detail , thanks 👍🏻

[@KeithHepburn]

Hello ET thanks for this I bought some soft brush heads as I have sensitive teeth. Is it normal for it to make more noise. It seems because the brush heads are softer they vibrate more. Bought on amazon and came in official packaging. The standard brush does not make this much noise.

[@ElectricTeeth]

I can't say I have noticed much (if any of a noise difference). There may well be a very subtle difference, but it shouldn't be significantly louder.

[@venetianclown2309]

I have a question: Do you think the Ultimate Clean bristles are too soft? When I apply a bit more pressure (otherwise the central shorter bristles cannot reach the surface), the outer ring of longer bristles are too flexible and they bend too much. Also, the central 6 bundles of shorter bristles are not dense enough to touch most surfaces. In addition, the iO heads are bigger. It means you need to rotate more different angles in order to reach every surface. I doubt its cleaning effect is lower than those of other Oral B non-io heads.

[@ElectricTeeth]

No, we don't think they are too soft.

[@tophers3756]

The different lengths are for cleaning uneben surfaces, especially the crowns of your teeth. If you're pressing hard enough to bend the bristles significantly then you are likely brushing too hard which will lessen the effectiveness.

[@venetianclown2309]

@@tophers3756 I use manual toothbrush to clean those biting surfaces. I concern most is whether this io heads can clean side/curve surfaces effectively.

[@BukuiZhao]

Update: Gentle Care now available in black.

[@ElectricTeeth]

US only at this time I think. But, yes, progress. 👍

[@iaincraig9093]

How good is the whitening head compared to the ultimate clean, i do suffer from yellowish teeth so looking to try and sort this

[@ElectricTeeth]

It has limited benefit. It can help but you won't notice significant differences. You would benefit more from a good whitening toothpaste for a short period of time.

[@msotrfan1]

I haven't taken good care of my teeth, previously, and I'm trying to get on it now. I'm assuming the Ultimate Care would suit me well. I also recently had to have a tooth pulled, and I had a bone graft too, so we could build up bone density to get an implant down the road. I don't know what to do. Should I get the ultimate care because I do need that good deep clean to stay on top of my Oral Care, or the gentle care to help stimulate my gums? Also, I was going to buy the oral io5 but I do need to stimulate my gums so I was thinking about the Oral-B io7 to get that good stimulation for my gums. What's your opinion?

[@ElectricTeeth]

No one brush is going to be radically better for gum stimulation. The iO7 might have extra modes over the io5 but the differences are subtle and not really worth the upgrade in mode instances. The ultimate Clean brush head is definitely going to give that deeper clean feeling. If your gums are in good health and have recovered from the surgery it's worth a shot. You may want to also try the Gentle Care for comparisons sake. You can always switch between the two if you like.

[@msotrfan1]

@ElectricTeeth Thank you very much for your reply. Since stepping up my Oral Care, you are definitely one of my go-to KZbin channels for this kind of thing. Could I do Ultimate Clean in the evenings and gentle care in the mornings for brush heads? Right now, I'm using a spinbrush just to get me through until I can figure out which IO to buy. I figured the spinbrush is better than the manual. With what you told me though, I think I might get the IO5 if that's what you think is suitable. I do remember one time you told me a while back you thought that the IO6 was better, but I can't remember why that was. Thanks again.

[@ElectricTeeth]

Yes you can definitely switch heads morning and night, many do. The Spinbrush is better than a manual, but far from the best electric 😆 Very cheap though. I may have said it already, but I would encourage not overthinking the purchase of which model. It is better to pick one and use it than spend weeks choosing the 'perfect' model. The iO range has become overly complicated. The iO5 and 6 offer the same cleaning results. However, when factoring everything in I feel the iO6 is the best brush in the range for value for money. You are getting more than the basic (& more than you NEED) but you are not getting lots of unnecessary extras and paying a fortune. The iO3 is the best budget option. I think the screen on the iO6 is more user friendly than the backlit icons on the iO5 for seeing which mode you are in. It's a small thing, but having an icon and a text label feels better in my opinion.

[@msotrfan1]

@ElectricTeeth You nailed the hammer on the head when you said, spending weeks overthinking it because I've been doing that. Literally 🤣. One more thing, the IO9 you had said in a previous video had better brush tracking capabilities. I am really ashamed to admit that I really did let my teeth go previously, but really trying to find the best for me. I want to track and make sure I'm getting every single area so I can avoid any more root canals and the extra damage that I've done. Some people say the tracking on the io9 doesn't really do much. Even though you said all the other features are subtle and not really worth the upgrade, is the io9 worth the upgrade for tracking, or am I still overthinking?

[@ElectricTeeth]

As a general rule, no I don't think it is worth the upgrade for most people. However, if you are obsessed and committed to getting the best clean and doing the absolute best you can and are happy to use an app each time you brush to achieve this, then yes it is helpful. The iO9 tracks 16 rather than the 6 zones of the other iO models with tracking. It provides more specific feedback per tooth surface, whereas the 6 zone tracking can't differentiate between whether you have brushed the front or back sides of the teeth. The iO9's tracking isn't 100% perfect though (no smart toothbrush is). It is without doubt useful, but even committed brushers can find the reliance on the app a bit challenging at times, hence it not being a top recommendation.

[@michaelalderman6815]

My io 10 came with 4 heads with no way to tell which is which. Each has a different little symbol near the base and I can’t find anything in the manual or online that explains what these symbols mean.

[@ElectricTeeth]

The symbol is to identify one head from another. For example if you and a partner used the same brush head style in the same bathroom, you would know yours was the one with the star whilst theirs is the one with the square on it.

[@vincentalvarado7058]

How do you tell the same brushhead apart if you have multiple ones for different family members?

[@ElectricTeeth]

There are icons towards the bottom of the heads that help tell the the difference. One might bee a square, another a star for example.

[@hasanshikhkilo1137]

Does the io9 model has a display reminder when it is time to change the brush head or is it only via the app and fading indicator you can tell ?

[@ElectricTeeth]

The iO9 will tell you via the app and the display on the handle. It previously only did it via the app, but the software has since been updated.

[@hasanshikhkilo1137]

@@ElectricTeeth tbh I never seen a message display on the handle, is this something only recently been updated with the IO9? Also, I’m Assuming the update is automatically done?

[@ElectricTeeth]

You need to update the app and this should push any relevant updates through to the brush handle. It was added a while ago, I don't know exactly when from memory.

[@Tephnos]

Jon, have you noticed if any iO head replicas have been seen in the wild yet?

[@ElectricTeeth]

No, I haven't. To be honest I haven't searched a lot for these recently, so maybe they exist, but not seen anything obvious.

[@edewar6004]

Yes compatible heads with a slightly less effective bristle pattern are available at a vastly reduced price

[@lonewolf-qy4un]

after a couple weeks the precision clean heads ability to clean seriously diminishes. is the ultimate clean heads a better alternative?

[@ElectricTeeth]

I can't say I have noticed degradation in the Precision Clean head. I've used the Ultimate Clean head on iO brushes for 3 months at a time with no issue. Often it looks and seems to perform as good as the day I first put it on the handle.

[@lonewolf-qy4un]

@@ElectricTeeth ohhh i have the oral b 1500...

[@ElectricTeeth]

Thanks for the feedback. Just be aware iO heads don't fit the 1500. 👍

[@chaitydey8175]

I have a precision clean brush head which is not sitting properly on my oral b pro 3000. But cross section comes with it works. Please let me know if I am missing something.

[@ElectricTeeth]

Not really. The Precision Clean should fit without issue. Possible manufacturing defect? Is it a genuine Oral-B head?

[@chaitydey8175]

@@ElectricTeeth I am not sure if it's original but the brush head was given by my dentist after demonstrating me how to use it.

[@ElectricTeeth]

Hmm in that case it should be. Does t have an orange coloured piece in the bottom of the head? Sometimes they are adapter to fit to dentists brushes only for demonstration purposes.

[@chaitydey8175]

@@ElectricTeeth yes, you are right! There is an orange-colored adapter. should I remove it? Also, I have another question. When my dentist was demonstrating, I found the vibration or the brush more intense. Compared to that my Pro 3 3000 felt softer or more gentle. So is it alright in terms of cleaning performance? I have been suffering gum infections from time to time. I hope that Oral B Pro 3 3000 has the same cleaning performance as the higher models.

[@ElectricTeeth]

I am not honestly sure if they can be removed. Worth a shot if it is not fitting correctly. I haven't personally used these dentist provided heads, but have become aware of them. It is possible that the brush your dentist was using was different. One with a more powerful motor, thus you felt the difference. In all reality the extra power is minimal in most instances and has little impact on cleaning results. Your brushing time and technique generally has a bigger impact. Thus, might it have felt more intense because your dentist was showing you how to brush correctly vs what you might be doing now. I'm not saying you do it wrong, but just a theory. 😀 I don't know if the dentist was actually brushing your teeth for you, and because you essentially were having your teeth brushed by someone else it felt more powerful?!

[@kevin9411]

Hi there. So if I have io5 or io10 i can still use same head for both? 🤔

[@ElectricTeeth]

Yes, you can. All iO Series brushes use the same brush head style/attachment.

[@kevin9411]

Hi there. Just bought io6 and I have question. When I’m done I put it to rest and it vibrate sometimes. Am I supposed to turn it off somehow or what?

[@victorcupsa2371]

Hi electric toothbrushes are also recommended for dental implants Thanks

[@ElectricTeeth]

Yes, you can use an electric toothbrush with dental implants, no problem.

[@Tolay1993]

What do you recommend pro 3 300 or io 5 ??

[@ElectricTeeth]

Do you mean the Pro 3 3000? Or is there a Pro 3 300 where you are? If you mean 3000 rather than 300, then the Pro 3 3000 gets our vote over the iO5 due to the better value for money. Cleaning results are comparable.

[@zahaidrahman2052]

Are the heads the same for the entire IO range?

[@ElectricTeeth]

Yes they are.

[@mumenraider]

Just wondering what happens if the Brush heads are not replaced after the recommend after the around 3 months of use does the Brush stop functioning?

[@ElectricTeeth]

No, they continue to function. Technically you can use the heads as long as you like. The problem is how effective they are and what potential damage they might be doing to the teeth and gums, if worn.

[@greenerick]

Wow didn't know thanks for the video

[@stephaniemerck462]

Now I'm wondering if there is a toothbrush that actually does a 360 rotation ...

[@ElectricTeeth]

Certainly not from Oral-B.

[@edewar6004]

That wouldn't work well and would be bad for your gums also.

[@MoB-dd1ss]

You are so good thx

[@GamesonQ]

Too hard bristles even on gentle care brush head. I can only use super sensitive manual toohburshes

[@theuncanspan]

Do you have the iO9?

[@isaacogunmuko3947]

Use the Sensitive mode or Super Sensitive mode.

[@GamesonQ]

@@isaacogunmuko3947 no it's not the same. try curaprox toothbrush u never go back

[@GamesonQ]

@@theuncanspan no i dont i've tried it in the store.

[@isaacogunmuko3947]

@@GamesonQ I've been using an Oral B Electric Toothbrush since 2015, and had no problem with my Teeth or Gums. And I've used the Procession Clean, Floss Action, 3D White, and Cross Action brushes before. Currently I've using the Cross Action head and I use the Pro Clean mode.

[@sidramuntaha7613]

Oh. my. Days

[@thefury4815]

Don't bother buying one. The way they made this brush all the bacteria in your mouth goes into those holes on the head and can go down into where the head connects to the toothbrush and build up inside the head itself. Unless you wanna rinse your whole toothbrush thoroughly inside and out every single time it's gonna build up in the toothbrush and get really gross and into places you can't reach for cleaning. Had mine less than a year and tossed it because of how disgusting the inside got and switched to sonicare.

[@stealthis]

I've never heard of this complaint

[@thefury4815]

@@stealthis really? I've seen tons of people say the same thing

[@ElectricTeeth]

We are aware of this as an issue. It is one with all Oral-B brush heads. We are planning to look into it a bit more. However, we advise rinsing all brush heads after use anyhow. From our testing Sonicare isn't immune entirely from the issue. How have you found Sonicare to compare?

[@ItsDarkRightNow]

@@ElectricTeeth do u still recommend oral b then after hearing this issue?

[@leonora7007]

@@ItsDarkRightNow oral B is literally the best ever, I have tried sonicare and yes it’s looks cleaner but it’s still gathering mold in the head, you just don’t see it, oral b is a way better rotation shaped after the teeth than sonicare, way less cavities.