Oral-B Pro 6000/6500 Review

Design, usability, clean & general use

Product evolution is important and the Pro 6000 is the next step in Oral-B design and features.

The 6000 essentially takes the design and many of the features of the more premium Genius Pro 8000 and offers them at a more attractive price point.

On the whole, this is a positive thing, but there are a few negatives to be aware of.

From the moment you take it out of the box, it is obvious that this is a more premium model.

It not only looks more appealing, but it also has neat touches to the design that make it more practical and user friendly.

The body of the handle is primarily a gloss white color with the main color accent being the front of the brush with the silver/grey insert. This gives a perception of quality and an appeal that is not directed to men or women, it is a universally acceptable color choice that will look at home in any bathroom.

You can get it in black, rose gold and orchid purple color options too.

The brush handle is not perfectly round, sort of more like a rounded rectangle, but a final profile that feels good in the hand, even if the plastics are a little on the glossy side.

It is at the front of the brush handle where things get a bit busy and you find all the main controls.  The sides and the rear of the handle are free of such.

The sides of the handle are a gloss white plastic, with the full rear of the brush being covered in a soft touch white rubber with circular impressions which helps the hand and fingers grip the handle.  It is a much more appealing brush to hold and grip onto compared to models like the Pro 1000 and 3000.

Framed inside the silver/grey oval panel that runs almost the whole length of the handle is the power button, cleaning mode button, cleaning mode icons, Bluetooth and battery status.

The power button turns the brush on and off, that is all.  Sounds logical.  However, on the likes of the Pro 3000, you use this same button to change the cleaning mode.  On the Genius 6000, there is the cleaning mode button which when pressed changes the cleaning option you have selected.

Both of these buttons are made of white rubber inset into the panel and both buttons are raised, making them easy to find.

The power button is illuminated whilst the cleaning mode has a grey colored arrow that points down.

Both give good feedback and are not too easily activated in error.

It is worth knowing that the Pro 6000 does not allow you to select the cleaning mode prior to powering the brush on.  It may not sound like a big deal, but what you need do is apply the paste, pop it in your mouth and remember how many presses of the cleaning mode button you need to get the right mode, to avoid toothpaste being thrown across the room.  Why is it set up like this?!  Brushes a fraction of this price have the facility to do this.

Underneath the buttons are 4 icons that represent the 5 cleaning modes.  Yes, 4 icons for 5 cleaning modes.  They illuminate as the relevant cleaning mode is selected when you press the cleaning mode button.

When illuminated a white light is used compared to the blue light seen on the popular Pro 7000.

The 5 cleaning modes available on the 6000 are:

• Daily Clean
• Gum Care
• Sensitive
• Whitening
• Pro-Clean

We explain these in more detail in this post.

Daily Clean does not get an icon on the brush handle.

It is only when one of the other 4 modes are selected, does the relevant icon light up.

I don’t understand why this is, it just seems a bit silly.

Daily Clean is the standard go to mode and it is excellent, but you do have the choice of the other modes if you want them.

They differ by the speed and number of movements of the brush head.  The motor delivers different amounts of power.  For example, the Sensitive mode has a much lower number of oscillations and pulsations.

If you do not feel you will use these additional cleaning modes then it is worth considering whether this brush is for you, you pay a premium for them.

In the lower third of this front panel is a Bluetooth icon, a battery icon made up of 3 bars and then finally the Oral-B and Braun logos.

The base of the brush is sealed, but has a recess into which the prong on the charging stand fits to charge the brush.

On the neck of the brush is a plastic ring that runs the full 360 degrees around the handle.  Known as the SmartRing, this is a LED panel that can be set one of 12 colors via the smartphone app.

It also doubles up as the visual pressure sensor, more on this shortly.

Then right at the top of the handle, protruding from the center is a metal prong that delivers the movements to the detachable brush head.

The brush handle is completely sealed making it water resistant so that is can be used in the shower if you choose.  It is also fine to rinse off under a tap without issue.  Do avoid submersion in the water though.

Supplied with the Genius 6000 is 1 CrossAction brush head that simply pushes on and pulls off of the brush handle.

Small and compact you can generally get the brush head into all the hard to reach areas of the mouth.  It cleans the teeth really well, the angled bristles sweep along the teeth and gumline effectively cleaning the plaque away and leaving your mouth much cleaner and healthier than a manual brush.

The motion of the brush head on the Genius 6000, looks like this.

The dynamic 3D movement helps adapt to your teeth as it oscillates, rotates and pulsates to break up and remove up to 100% more plaque than a manual toothbrush.

I really like the clean offered by the 6000.

The CrossAction brush head works well, but certain cleaning modes will work best with different brush heads.  A range of alternative styles are available, but the Sensi Ultra Thin heads are perfect for the Sensitive or Gum Health modes, whilst the Pro White brush head works well with the Whitening mode.

It would have been nice to see more heads included in the box.  Not only to help demonstrate the ability of the brush and the other modes but because the 6000 comes with a brush head storage compartment.

This molded plastic unit clips around the charging stand and holds up to 4 brush heads in a tray.  There is a lid over the top that protects the heads from any dust, spray, etc.

This storage compartment is really useful if you use more than 1 brush head.

You need to swap your brush head every 3 months for a new one, sooner if the bristles are frayed or split.  All brush heads made by Oral-B feature something known as fading/indicator bristles.  blue in color, over the 3 month period they fade in color to a white/translucent color, acting as a reminder to replace the head.

What makes the 6000 pretty special is the connection to your smartphone that is on offer.

It is not a new feature from Oral-B, but it is a feature that has improved in reliability and performance and is, for the most part, perfected here on the Pro 6000.

The idea behind this connectivity is to essentially be a little like having a dentist or hygienist looking over your shoulder saying good, bad, brush for longer.  It is about education for better cleaning rather than telling you that you have got it all wrong.  It is not there to nag you.

Preventing any dental issues is much cheaper than resolving them, and often less painful.  So you need to think of the coaching as being a positive thing and long term hopefully spending too much money with your dentist.

The app will run on most Android or iOS devices.  And uses Bluetooth on your phone and the Genius 6000  brush to pair. Your smartphone must have Bluetooth 4.0 as a minimum for compatibility.

You can download the Oral-B app from iTunes or the Play Store.

The app is very comprehensive with lots of options. It gives you all you need though to not only effectively brush your teeth, but to log the cleans and motivate you.

There are features like integration with your calendar so you can see your day's agenda, news, tips, and tricks, so you stay interested when cleaning your teeth.

At times I have found these distracting, you may want to customize the settings to avoid some notifications.

You don’t have to use the app at all if you don’t want to.  Even if you do, you don’t have to use it all the time; the brush itself can store the data for up to 20 cleans.

Whilst a toothbrush plays a vital role in oral hygiene the routine and way in which you clean does too. This app makes it easy to see and represent in almost real-time just how good, or bad you are doing.

Challenges are presented to you allowing you to obtain a score based on how well you brush and improve your habits. Brush better and for longer and you are on the road to success. Gain badges for achievements and share socially if you choose.

If you have perfected your technique you may have less to gain than others, but I was impressed at just how well the app works and monitors you clean.

I mentioned earlier about the LED Smart Ring that doubles up as a pressure sensor.

Well from within the app you can set it on of 12 pre-programmed colors.  It will shine this color when it is in use, unless you are brushing too hard and the pressure sensor is activated, at this point, it shines a brighter red color.

If it is red, this is not great and you need to relieve the pressure.  The light is a visual clue you are brushing too hard.

Brushing too hard over time can lead to gum recession and you want to avoid that if you can.

Bristles of a brush head need only skim the tooth surface.  Harder brushing does not mean a better clean.

If using the app at the same time as brushing, the screen on the app will also illuminate red and tell you to reduce the pressure.

Cleverly, the brush will too automatically reduce the brush head speed and stop the pulsation until the pressure is reduced.  You may notice the sound of the motor change too.

Added extras in the smartphone app include a Professional Guidance feature that allows you and your dental professional to work together.  Actually share and discuss improvement areas and have your dentist actually program into the app extra brushing time and adjustments to your cleaning modes.

Online backup is another new feature.  With an Oral-B account, you can never lose data and even share with compatible services for additional insights and benefits. As the app logs data over the days and weeks, it is impressive to see through the logs how your habits and brushing time changes.

The connection and transfer are fairly reliable and I have yet to run into any real problems.

The Genius Pro 8000 does have one added feature, which is not available with the 6000 and that is enhanced tracking/position detection.  What this does is uses the front facing camera on your smartphone to track the actual position of the Genius brush inside your mouth when in use.

It takes this data and displays this on the smartphone screen, giving instant feedback to highlight and direct you to where you have missed and where you need to clean next.

Good but not without its faults.  I have found it a bit buggy, it is a bit awkward to use and you need to use a smartphone holder in your bathroom to hold the phone at head height, to actually do the tracking.  A holder comes in the box, but it's the type that you might have stuck to your car's windshield.  It is just odd in a bathroom.

In all honesty, the Genius 6000 good enough, and the enhanced tracking on offer by the Genius Pro, whilst clever is not essential.

It is also worth noting, whilst it is perfectly possible to share a brush handle, the handle can not differentiate between 2 users, so your data synced to the app will be wrong.

If you both want to take advantage of Bluetooth connectivity, you need your own brush.

If you are not a big smartphone user it might be difficult for you to get in a routine of using the app.  In fact, you might ignore the facility altogether, that is fine (but is this brush for you?).  If your smartphone is always attached to you, no doubt you will find it easier.

Another oversight here in my mind is not including a stand of some form to hold your smartphone when brushing.  If you want to encourage users to use the app, a small desktop stand would be a nice addition, otherwise, you need to hold your phone in your hand or leave it on a worktop whilst you brush.  A stand would position the phone nicely to show you the timer.

Built into any of the premium Oral-B brush is a timer, this is the bit of technology that makes sure you brush for the right amount of time, the required 2 minutes  There is a quadpacer too.

The idea is that you spend 30 seconds cleaning each quadrant of the mouth.

Dental professionals usually break the mouth up into 4 sections, upper right, upper left, lower right, and lower left.  Spend 30 seconds cleaning the front, back, and tops of the teeth in each section and you should be taking the right steps to achieve a good routine.

When powered on the brush will at 30 second intervals pause in the motion of the brush head to give you the notification you need to change quadrant.  This continues at 30 second intervals, up until the 2 minutes, where you get 3 brief pauses in the brush head motion to tell you to stop.

You should brush twice a day for 2 minutes each time.  But do also be aware that the technique for brushing with an electric toothbrush is different to a manual brush, so make sure you are familiar with the right technique as this is almost as important.

Now, whilst it is incredibly important that you find the right brush for you, you might be pleased to read that the Genius 6000 is an American Dental Association (ADA) approved electric toothbrush.  To gain the ADA's seal of approval the brush itself has been thoroughly tested and has had to pass strict lab tests set by the ADA and meet the American National Standards Institute-approved dental standards.  An electric toothbrush with such credentials has been proven safe and have shown efficacy in removing plaque and helping to prevent and reduce gingivitis when used as directed.  If you want to read or know more, consult the ADA Seal report for Oral-B electric toothbrushes.

Also included in the box is the all important charging stand.

Made of plastic, there is a prong on the top, on which the Genius 6000  will sit to be recharged.  This charger connects to the usual US mains power supply.

It usually takes up to 12 hours to recharge the brush fully.  It is a relatively slow charge that is pushed to the brush via the charging stand, so it is perfectly safe to leave the brush on here at all times when not in use.  Good practice, however, is to run down the battery and recharge it every 6 months.

I will speak more about the battery later in this review, but the brush offers 14 days of usage, which is ok, but not great.

The only other item in the box, is a welcomed one.  A travel case.

Fairly basic it is made of plastic and is relatively thin.  It is transparent and holds the brush handle and up to 2 brush heads.

Whilst not being as robust or as premium as some other options, it certainly does the job and will protect the brush and heads when in a bag and stop accidental activation.

Sadly, missing from the box is an accessory I loved, that comes with the Pro 7000, is the Smart Wireless Guide.  It has essentially been replaced with the smartphone app.

Essentially a portable clock and timer that shows your cleaning mode, how well you are brushing (via a smiley or sad face and star rating) and how long you have been brushing for.

Powered by 2 AA batteries it could sit on a shelf or attach to a wall with an adhesive pad and was a small unobtrusive addition to the kit that worked well.  It does nothing more than what the app does, but I believe a very convenient solution to encourage better cleaning when the app is not in use.  Sadly though it is not included.

Well built, Oral-B have a pretty decent track record of reliability so you should not have to worry about things going wrong.  If they should the brush comes with a 2 year/24 month warranty to cover these issues.