Oral-B’s iO 6 electric toothbrush is an older model that still has lots to offer

Ergonomics

The brush is very easy to get to grips with and has a lovely chunky handle with a plastic coating that makes it very easy to hold, even when it’s wet. Similarly, the two rubberised buttons make the brush easy to control in wet or dry.

This thicker profile also translates up the brush head too, so it doesn’t feel quite as subtle in the mouth as some of the more-tapered sonic brushes, and the round brush head feels perfect for cleaning when it’s brushing the top portion of the tooth, but less so when cleaning the sides.

In operation

There is something about the calibration of the round, oscillating head that makes it feel quite rough in the mouth and, once it’s oscillating, it feels a little bit like a blunt instrument, although you certainly won’t be in any doubt that your gnashers are getting a thorough clean.

One of the things we’re not too keen on when it comes to the iO 6 is that it doesn’t automatically power down once you’ve completed the required amount of time that makes up your chosen mode.

Instead, you have to try to find the power button while the toothbrush is still in your mouth, so you don’t risk getting a face full of toothpaste. We much prefer the convenience of having a brush that automatically shuts down.

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What we still like about the iO6 was that it was one of the first iO brushes with a personality, in that emojis appear on the LCD when you first pick it up in the morning, when you complete your brushing mode, or when you don’t – the kind of face you get will depend on how long you’ve brushed for.

Now, I share the brush with my daughter, using different heads (changing heads is super straightforward), and although I rarely look at the emoji, my daughter, who’s 12, genuinely seems to look forward to getting her smiley face at the end of her allotted time.

In fact, the brush has got so much personality, my daughter has called it Barry, leading to many confusing episodes of a school morning, when she’s rushing around shouting: “You’ve moved Barry, Dad! Where is he?”

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She was slightly lax in her brushing BB (Before Barry), but, ever since, her dental hygiene has improved dramatically. Compared with brushes specifically targeted at children that are app-enabled with points, games, rewards and level-ups in-app, there is something about the immediacy of the feedback and the universal language of the emoji that has really struck a chord with her and motivated her to brush better and more regularly.

In this way, I think the iO6 is a very good brush for pre-teens. It’s clearly a grown-up brush, but it has retained some of the personality that kids respond well to, so it seems to be a by-product that I’m not sure was entirely intentional from Oral-B.

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In terms of other features, there is a two-minute timer and a quadrant pacer, which we all expect from our electric brushes these days, but the standout feature for us was the excellent pressure sensor. This, in combination with a light ring around the neck of the brush handle, very clearly shows if you are brushing with the correct amount of pressure, by lighting up green. Brush too hard and it will turn red; too soft and it will turn white.

This is another feature that both my daughter and I agree is something we really like about the brush and is particularly important for kids, to teach them good brushing habits and let them know exactly how much pressure they should be applying.

The app

The app’s setup and Bluetooth connectivity was good, and there is a certain amount of customisation available – for example, the pressure sensor white light can be changed, or you can tailor the order of the cleaning modes.

If you do open up the app during cleaning, it will show you where the brush is in your mouth (although a mirror will do pretty much the same thing), but your virtual teeth will change from blue to white as the app registers the data from the brush as it moves around your mouth.

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You will probably begin with good intentions and use the app, which is very informative. But if your mornings are a little rushed (like mine), you may find, like me, you use it less and less over time – now, I just rely on the oral cues that I get from the brush itself, which is plenty for me.

However, the app was a winner with my daughter from day one, which suggests its appeal for pre-teens is much greater, because it has just the right amount of interactivity to prompt a pause, albeit brief, from Snapchat.