Oral-B iO: Good Oral Health within Reach

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  Oral-B iO: Good Oral Health within Reach

Combine engaging patient education with effective home care recommendations for improved patient outcomes

Just about every dentist and hygienist can at-test: Ensuring patient adherence to home care recommendations presents a challenge. Teaching about proper brushing techniques and regular flossing doesn't necessarily make for scintillating conversation. What will engage patients, grab their attention, and help them fully understand the importance of good oral hygiene? When hygienists Yudith Alcaraz, RDH, and Allison Koska, RDH, were asked what they think motivates patients the most, they both said “health.” Discussion of oral health and the ramifications of forgoing appropriate and consistent home care sparks their patients’ interest and raises the alarm about the importance of taking care of their teeth and gums.

“I find that once they understand the gingival inflammation process and how quickly it actually begins, it registers with them how consistency is key,” said Alcaraz. “I explain that inflammation can start within 3 days of not cleaning properly, and their frequent response is ‘Wait, what? It’s that fast?’”

Koska agreed that health, more than esthetics, motivates patients to follow her home care recommendations. “My patients want to be healthy,” she said. “They want their mouths to be healthy and their bodies to be healthy.” One tool both Koska and Alcaraz are especially excited about is the Oral-B iO electric toothbrush.

Small, Round, and Powerful

Inspired by dental instruments such as prophy brushes and polishers, the round Oral-B iO brush heads adapt to the size and shape of individual teeth to ensure a thorough clean. Koska, who practices in Huntsville, TX, preferred traditionally shaped brush heads until she tried the Oral-B iO. “That just changed the whole ballgame for me,” she exclaimed.

Originally, she was skeptical of the brush’s small, round head shape, but then she tried it. “The head looks small, but it gets into all of the nooks and crannies,” Koska explained. “And if you have third molars, it’s going to get all the way back there. It hugs the tooth. I also feel like the bristles remove so much more plaque and buildup vs a manual toothbrush—even between the teeth—especially if someone is not a good flosser,” she said.

When recommending home care products to her patients, Koska shares her personal experience. “I never push patients into using a particular product. Instead, I make my recommendations part of the conversation. I tell them what works for me and why.”

All the Right Moves

Understanding that effective plaque removal requires the right brush angle and movement, the designers and engineers behind Oral-B iO equipped the brush with a linear magnetic drive system that concentrates energy at the bristles' tips where patients need it most. The result is pulsation that loosens plaque, and oscillation and rotation that then sweeps it away. Compared to a manual toothbrush, which delivers 300 to 600 movements per minute, Oral-B iO delivers up to 48,800 movements per minute.

Previously, Alcaraz wasn’t a fan of oscillating technology, but since being introduced to Oral-B iO, she’s changed her tune. “I actually was very surprised that I really enjoyed it,” she said. “I stopped using my other brush. I don’t know if it’s more power or the combination of the micro-vibration with the oscillation that feels like a more thorough clean, but I really like it.”

Interactive Brushing

Patient engagement doesn’t have to stop in the hygienist’s chair. With the right tools, motivation can extend into the home. Oral-B iO, with its interactive features—smart pressure sensor, interactive display, personalized modes, and real-time guidance—can aid brushing technique and provide positive reinforcement.

The smart pressure sensor helps patients find the Goldilocks level of pressure they should use when brushing. A light positioned around the top of the handle lets users know if the pressure they’re applying is too light (white), too hard (red), or just right (green). Alcaraz described the green light as one of her favorite features of the brush because it provides more specific feedback. “Rather than just telling you when you’re pressing too hard, this brush lets you know when it’s too light and also when you’re doing it right,” she said.

Using visual cues, the interactive display allows users to select brushing modes, see charging progress, and time their brushing. In addition to a vibration that indicates the passage of 30 seconds during brushing and cues users to move to another quadrant, the brush provides visual feedback to indicate whether a full 2 minutes has passed. Koska especially likes this visual cue. “It’ll give you a smiley face if you brush the full amount and what I call a stink eye if you don’t,” she explained. With a wink and a nod, it’s a humorous way to let patients know they can improve their brushing.

Every patient wants or requires something specific when it comes to home care. Perhaps they have particularly sensitive teeth and gums, or they’d like to enhance the whiteness of their teeth. Oral-B iO provides up to 7 personalized Smart Modes (Daily Clean, Sensitive, Super Sensitive, Whitening, Gum Care, Intense Clean, and Tongue Clean) that let users choose what best meets their needs.

The Right Brush Makes a Big Difference

Both Alcaraz and Koska have seen improved oral health in themselves and their patients since using Oral-B iO. “I’m a big coffee drinker,” said Alcaraz. “And stain isn’t building up as quickly.” She’s also had several patients tell her how much they like the brush. “They can see a big difference when they're using the Oral-B iO vs a manual toothbrush.”

Koska agreed, explaining why she likes the small brush head: “It gets under my retainer, so I don’t get any buildup there anymore, which I used to have to scale off myself.”

When it comes to patients, she finds that even for those who don’t consistently brush for the full 2 minutes, their plaque levels still go down. “Their soft tissue doesn't bleed as much,” she said. “I definitely notice a big difference.”