Brushing your teeth might be a twice-daily activity but electric toothbrushes aren't exactly the most affordable items - unless you're shopping on Cyber Monday.
This year, my favourite electric toothbrush, my pick of the best electric toothbrushes, the brush that prompted the first all-clear from my dentist in years a couple of weeks ago, is now an impressive £274 off. The Oral-B iO9 Electric Toothbrush is one of the newer models in the brand's premium iO range, featuring artificial intelligence technology to help you get the most from your daily cleaning.
I initially started out testing this brush for two weeks to figure out if it should make our list of best Oral-B toothbrushes - but here I still am almost a year later. So, what's so special about it?
Oral-B iO9: Was £499.99, now £225 at Amazon (save £274)
The Oral-B iO9 Electric Toothbrush features the cutting edge of Oral-B's AI technology, featuring a 2-mibute timer as well as an alert to replace the brush head, and a sensitivity warning to protect teeth while you clean.
Why I love the Oral-B iO9 electric toothbrush
Ease of use
Firstly, the brush is so easy to use. Once charged (via the sleek magnetic charging point), the screen on the front of the brush lights up to greet you and presents multiple different options for your cleaning session, including a Daily Clean, Sensitive, Gum Care, Intense Clean, and Whitening. While I mostly just use the daily clean function, when I swap out my usual toothpaste for a pick of the best whitening toothpaste, I do switch to the whitening function, which works slightly harder to remove surface stains.
I can select with the touch of the central button and the program begins, with the screen switching to a countdown timer from two minutes immediately. Every 30 seconds, the device buzzes to indicate how long you have left, so you don't even have to look at the screen.
Amazing features
Where features are concerned, the iO9 is full of them. For me, two of the most important ones for any toothbrush to have are a timer and a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor on this brush appears as a ring light, sitting just below the head of the brush, and it flashes a combination of red, green, or white depending on how much pressure you're putting through your teeth. As hard brushing can be a leading cause of gum problems, this is key for me.
Does the Oral-B iO9 really work?
Recently, I had my six-monthly checkup with my dentist. Of course, I know how to floss properly and do so regularly but it's rare for my dentist or hygienist to not pull me up on one element of my oral health or another. This time, for the first time in many years, I got the all-clear, with compliments on my brushing routine.
Thanks to the unique oscillating heads of the iO range, the bristles are able to reach areas towards the back of the mouth where plaque tends to build up - especially if you're like me and you still have your wisdom teeth.
There are a few things that you need to know before buying an electric toothbrush. There are a couple of boxes that need ticking, such as features like timer and pressure sensor, battery power, ease of use, and buying availability. All of those are covered with this one brush, now at a cheaper price than I've seen it all year.
