Oral-B iO6 Review

How the iO6 looks, feels and works

The retail packaging doesn’t affect your use of the iO6, but I do feel it is worth a mention.

Compared to some of the Oral-B unboxing experiences I have had, this is much better.

The cardboard box, complete with a cardboard inner has a very typical Oral-B design to it. It is fairly consistent with other models. However, there has been a real improvement in the amount of information printed on it.

In the past, it would state 5 cleaning modes, but never say what they were. Now, these are clearly identified. Other features are highlighted and explained too.

Somewhat disappointing is the fact that the travel case is wrapped with a plastic sleeve. 

A display built into the stylish brush handle

Following on from the iO7, 8 and 9, the Series 6 retains the same premium design.

It is in truth almost impossible to tell them apart unless you really understand the differences.

I think it looks and feels great.

There is a rounded shape to the handle with no harsh edges.

It is just an inch thick and wide.

It is the same shape, size and weight (for the most part) as the other iO handles. 

Unlike the iO Series 4 and 5, the iO6 has a display built into the brush handle.

You get a black and white display, like the Series 7, not a color one like the 8 and 9. But I don’t think the lack of color really hampers the user experience that much.

Arguably overkill, I do think it is a great addition and adds to the premium characteristics of the brush.

What I particularly like about it is that it gives more meaningful information. You don’t just get a cleaning mode icon, you get a label for the name of that cleaning mode. It just makes everyday interactions that bit better.

As an added bonus there are small customizations that can be made via the display, that would usually be reserved for the app, if there was no screen.

Above and below the display are buttons. The top is the power button and the lower is the mode button that allows you to cycle through options on the screen.

Unlike cheaper Oral-B brushes and even premium models from years gone by, there is a distinct lack of textured surfaces on the iO’s handle.

Instead, the handle has a smooth, but resistive coating to the plastic. That might sound odd, but basically, it isn’t as slippery to the touch as you expect.

The benefit of less grip is that the handle is easier to keep clean. It can easily be rinsed and wiped. You don’t get a buildup of toothpaste residue and grime within the textured surfaces of the rubber, as is the case with other models.

The iO6 feels good quality and is durable

Although of plastic construction rather than metal, like the SURI toothbrush for example, the iO6 does still feel solid and durable in hand.

Having been making toothbrushes for many years, Oral-B knows what works.

Aside from the aforementioned screen and buttons, on the front of the handle you will also find a printed Bluetooth icon along with the Oral-B iO logos.

The back and sides of the handle are free from any notable ports or controls.

There is no raised plastic nodule on the back of the handle to stop it from rolling about. But when laid flat it tends only to wobble a bit, rather than roll, due to the weight and shape of the handle.

A notable difference compared to the Series 7, 8 and 9 is the base of the brush handle.

Whilst the iO6 will stand upright on a countertop without issue, there is a recess in the base of the handle for the prong on the charging stand.

This is the same on most electric brushes from Oral-B, including the 4 and 5 models in the iO range.

It’s water resistant, but not submergible

Most toothbrushes, including the Series 6 are designed to withstand the rigors of twice daily use.

Water, wet hands, toothpaste and saliva are all in store for your handle. 

Whilst I don’t suggest trying to submerge the iO6 unnecessarily, the handle is water resistant so a good rinse under the faucet and even use in the shower are perfectly acceptable things to do.

And because the display in the handle of the brush isn’t touchscreen you don’t get any issues with interaction.

I have previously used brushes like the Oclean X which do have a touchscreen and can be very fiddly to use, particularly with moisture on the fingertips. The swipes and gestures are not always picked up. No such problem here.

It has a few more cleaning modes than you need

The iO6 has no fewer than 5 different cleaning or brushing modes available.

I believe that this is 3 or 4 more than you actually need, but you do have the choice.

Interestingly, the 5 modes on offer here are different to the 5 modes available on the iO5.

If you want to see how they differ you can refer to our Oral-B iO Series comparison.

The modes you get are:

• Daily Clean
• Gum Care
• Sensitive
• Whitening
• Intense

To change between each, you press the lower of the 2 buttons on the front of the brush handle.

You can continue to cycle through the modes until you get to the one that you want. You then press the power button to confirm your selection.

The brush will remain set to the chosen cleaning mode during your brushing session and it will default to that the next time you turn the brush on.

This is a great feature. It really annoys me if you have to complete multiple button presses every time to get the cleaning mode you want, because the brush doesn’t remember, the iO5 does this.

I appreciate that this is a bit of a first world issue and an unlikely deal breaker.

For those who use the app, you can actually control the order of the cleaning modes and even disable those you don’t want.

Whilst choice is nice, Daily Clean is the best mode to use for most people, and the Sensitive mode can be beneficial if you want a less intense cleaning action. But, modes like whitening and intense don’t provide any significant benefit to you.

If you want to learn more about the different brushing modes on Oral-B handles, do check out our guide to Oral-B cleaning modes.

The timer and pacer help you to brush for the right amount of time

An essential feature of any good toothbrush is a 2 minute timer and pacer. It is something our in-house dentists recommend.

You will be pleased to know that these are built into the iO6 as standard.

As the brush is turned on the pacer and timer are activated.

At 30 second intervals the pacer kicks in. You will note a pause in the bristle motion, a change in sound and brushing sensation and a vibration in the handle. This is your cue to move from one section of the mouth to another.

This then repeats every 30 seconds, until the brush gets to 120 seconds (2 minutes).

The idea is that you break the mouth up into 4 sections: 

• upper right
• upper left
• lower right 
• lower left

You spend 30 seconds cleaning each section. As you do, you try to give equal attention to the front, back and biting surfaces of the teeth. 

If you do, come the 120 seconds of brushing time, you should have achieved an even clean to the teeth and gums.

You will need to press the power button to turn the toothbrush off, as it does not power off automatically as some other brushes do. Well, it would if you left the brush running for 5 minutes, but I don’t recommend doing so.

As you power the brush off, no matter how long you have been brushing for, you will get an emoji style face appear on the screen. What face it is depends on your brushing time.

Brush for an insufficient amount of time and you will get a sad face. Brush for 2 minutes and you get a smiley face. If you brush for much longer than required you will see a starry eyed smile.

Around the world, dental professionals are in almost unanimous agreement that you should be brushing your teeth twice a day 2 minutes at a time. And cleaning in between the teeth at least once a day.

The reality is far too few do, with the average brushing time being just 45-70 seconds in total per day.

If you are guilty of this, you are putting your oral health at risk.

It is worth knowing that during any brushing session you do get a timer on the screen too. It isn’t necessarily the easiest to see based on the way you hold the brush, but it is there should you need to refer to it.

The smart pressure sensor alerts you when you brush with the correct or incorrect amount of pressure

This is probably one of the best pressure sensor implementations in any electric toothbrush on the market today. 

Around the neck of the brush handle is a light ring that changes color depending on the pressure applied.

This is another dentist recommended feature.

The colors and what they mean are as follows:

• White  – Low pressure – not enough force is being applied. This is the default setting.
• Green – The right amount of pressure is being used.
• Red – High or excessive pressure is being applied and the force should be reduced.

As best as possible you want the light ring to be lit green for the entirety of the brushing session.

It is worth noting that the white light can be customized to an alternative color via the smartphone app.

Too much pressure can damage the teeth and gums. As such when the red light is active, in the daily clean, intense and sensitive modes the number of brush head movements will be reduced until the pressure is relieved.

If using the smartphone application when brushing you will be alerted via the on-screen graphics only when too much force is being applied.

The sound of the brush handle does differ very slightly when excessive force is being used. It does not alter the vibration pattern felt via the handle, like Sonicare brushes do.

This smart sensor isn’t exclusive to the iO6. It is available on all Oral-B iO series handles.

The iO’s motor is quieter

When the iO Series was introduced, so too was a new motor.

Different from motors used in other models, the brushless magnetic drive system used exclusively in the iO Series results in a slightly different, albeit similar cleaning experience.

The motor used in the iO6 is the same as all other iO models.

But another benefit is that the brush is quieter in operation, with a different pitch to the sound. Some other brushes are really quite loud. 

The iO6 operates at approximately 64 decibels, although on some modes the noise produced is even less.

If noise is important to you, you can see how this compares to other models in our post on the quietest electric toothbrushes.

It sounds clichéd, but you get that dentist clean feeling

I can’t fault how well the iO6 cleans my teeth.

It might sound like an ad, which this is not, but I do have that deep an invigorating feeling as if I have just been to the dentist, after each use.

The different cleaning modes have some bearing on the intensity of the clean, but of course, this is your choice.

Irrespective of the mode, use the correct techniques and you will get a good clean of the teeth and gums.

All of Oral-B’s brushes are clinically proven and the iO6 is no exception.

Oral-B has posted impressive clinical results with their iO brushes and there is plenty of additional data from independent third parties that confirm how good the plaque removal is for an Oral-B toothbrush.

The oscillating, rotating and micro vibrating head effectively disrupts and removes plaque.

In the US, the iO Series has been awarded the American Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance, confirming it meets the claims made by the manufacturer.

Compared to the motor in the Smart 3000, Vitality, and Genius X for example, the sensation of the brushing is different.

The magnetic motor in the iO feels a little softer and less aggressive.

You need iO specific brush heads and they are expensive

Unlike a manual brush where you throw the whole thing every 3 months, electric brushes need only the bristles to be replaced.

Just pull off the head and push on a new one. No twisting or locking into place is needed.

Something you really need to be aware of is that the iO Series has its own range of brush heads.

This means only heads designed for the iO family of electric toothbrushes will fit and work with the iO6.

Oral-B’s brush heads that fit the Vitality, Pro 1000, Smart 1500 and Smart Series don’t fit.

This is annoying for existing Oral-B brush owners that might be upgrading and have spare brush heads.

But, perhaps the most galling part is that the iO heads are much more expensive. About twice the price. Expect to pay around $12 per head rather than around $5.

It might be a bit bold to say Oral-B are profiteering here, but is there sufficient justification for such a price premium?

The iO6 comes supplied with 1 Ultimate Clean brush head, which provides a very satisfying clean.

It has slightly firmer bristles that are angled at 16 degrees to effectively remove plaque from the teeth and along the gumline.

It is not the only style of head available though.

You can choose between:

• Ultimate Clean
• Gentle Care
• Radiant White
• Specialized Clean

The ultimate clean and gentle care are our top choices. 

You can choose the one you prefer, you don’t have to stick with the style that comes included in the box.

You can learn more about the specific differences between each head and why we select each by reading our post on the Best Oral-B brush heads.

Be reminded when it is time to replace your brush head

3 months is the recommended time to replace them because, assuming you brush for the recommended time, the bristles will wear and become less effective.

The rounded tips can become uneven and potentially damage the gums and abrade the tooth surface.

Whilst it is unlikely that you are going to do any significant damage if you were to use the head for 4 months, it is best to avoid using it for this long if you can.

The iO6 will actually remind you when it is time to replace the head via the app and on-screen. This only works if you log within the app when you last replaced it.

These reminders are really helpful as the brush heads themselves don’t always have fading indicator bristles to remind you.

If your brush head shows obvious signs of wear sooner than this, you want to replace the brush head sooner too. It might also be a sign you are brushing incorrectly, perhaps with too much force.

Once you have replaced the head, you should reset the reminder within the app.

The reminder system works on a number of assumptions and isn’t tracking the head via a unique tracking chip like Sonicare do with their BrushSync enabled heads.

So the iO6 wouldn’t know if you replaced the head after 1 month unless you specifically told it.

Track your brushing habits via your smartphone using Bluetooth

All of the iO Series brush handles offer Bluetooth connectivity. 

This means you can connect the iO6 to your smartphone, using the free Oral-B app for Android and iOS, and get insights into your oral care routine.

It is what some might call a ‘smart toothbrush’.

As a general rule, we don’t recommend smart brushes. This is because you don’t need them to achieve a good clean. 

Not to mention they use more resources and can be more expensive.

But, some people, maybe yourself, might like the idea of getting more information on how you are brushing and being alerted to insights and patterns within your routine.

The principle of the app is to educate and encourage people like you and I to take more control and ownership for our oral health.

If we can learn what we are doing well and where there are areas for improvement, we can make the appropriate corrections before problems arise.

Changes and improvements to the app are being made all of the time, this is the beauty of such a toothbrush. But as it stands you can customize the order of the cleaning modes, set specific oral care journeys, see the battery status, change the color of the light ring and track how long you have been using a particular brush head, amongst other things.

As you brush you are able to see which cleaning mode you have selected. The screen will change when you are applying too much pressure and more.

Track your brushing in real-time and improve your brushing immediately

One of the more unique features of this premium toothbrush is the ability to track its position of in the mouth. 

Sensors in the handle relay the orientation of the brush back to the app in real-time, which turns the data into on-screen visuals.

The idea being it helps you to learn what areas of the mouth you are and are not brushing well, so that you can take corrective action, either immediately or the next time you brush.

Based on how well you brush, you are given a score.

This score, along with other bits of brushing data are presented in a dashboard that you can take learnings from.

The app looks to build up an average score and understanding of your habits, but you can drill down into individual brushing sessions.

Even if you use the brush at times without the app, the handle will store some of the data and sync this with the app next time.

Without getting into too much minute detail, the whole system is very clever. Conceptually it is a very good idea and with serious commitment, some will gain a real benefit.

But a few of the sticking points are as follows:

1. You need to be committed to making improvements

To get the improvements you want or the app encourages you need to really work hard at making the necessary changes. Essentially you have to be prepared to correct your mistakes. If you do, this should benefit your oral health.

Ideally, you want to have your phone with you each time you brush, which isn’t something everyone will want to do.

2. The tracking isn’t that accurate – 6 zones rather than 16

The tracking works, but it isn’t perfect. 

Some sessions seem better than others, but I will often have the app registering a different zone to the one I am actually brushing. There can be a noticeable lag/delay in the visuals.

The app shows the on-screen visuals based on 6 zones (upper right rear, upper front, upper left rear, lower right rear, lower front and lower left rear) compared to the 16 zones (all the tooth surfaces) that are tracked on the iO9 for example.

Tracking 16 zones is more accurate and meaningful than 6. You might always be failing to brush the inside surfaces in a particular zone. But, you wouldn’t know this as the 6 zone tracking isn’t as specific.

It’s not a massive issue, but the pacer on the iO6 is set to 4 quadrants by default, yet the app is set to 6 zones. Thus a 20 second (sextant) pacer might be more useful to encourage even brushing in the ones being tracked.

Whilst I won’t claim to have the perfect brushing technique, I do think it is perhaps better than most. That said, even I struggle to get perfect scores all the time. Perhaps I have faults or it is partly down to the tech?

3. Once you have made the improvements, you probably won’t want to track

If you have a terrible routine and habits this brush can aid improvement. But what about when you have mastered it?

Let’s assume you have got a pretty accurate brushing score every time for the last 3 months. The motivation to use the app inevitably wears off.

Yes, you can periodically log a few sessions to ensure you are still doing the right thing, but have the value and benefit gone?

4. You can achieve similar results for a fraction of the price 

You don’t need a smart toothbrush to perfect your routine.

Yes, it could help, but you could save a lot of money by buying a more affordable toothbrush without the tech and instead learning the correct approaches from other sources.

Get personalized recommendations and tutorials from your dental hygienist or watch some of our oral care videos that show you how to brush correctly.

With a few minutes of your time and several brushing sessions where you really put into practice what you have learned, you can achieve the same results.

Pick the handle color you like most

There are 3 color choices to pick from:

• Gray opal
• Black lava
• Pink sand

Technically each brush handle is the same. The only difference is the color of the handle, brush head and the travel case.

Accessories and extras

Included in the box with the iO6 is a travel case.

Where usually the case is color matched to the handle, in most instances, you only get a white case with the Series 6. Why, I don’t know.

There are potentially some other variants that will have a color matched case or do too come with a brush head storage holder for 2 heads.

The travel case is pretty basic but perfectly functional. It does the job of protecting the handle and preventing accidental activation. 

Holding the case vertically, it is hinged on the left side, opening up like a book.

It is made from lightweight molded plastic.

The ends of the case are rounded, as is the top lid. The base is flat, so it sits on a worktop.

Debossed onto the top lid is the Oral-B iO logo with a push style clip on the right side to lock the case closed or to open it up.

Inside the case, it holds the brush handle and up to 2 brush heads.

There are a couple of small openings to allow for airflow so that a wet brush head can dry out whilst inside.