Oral-B Genius 8000 Review by a Dentist

The Oral-B Genius 8000 is a premium electric toothbrush made by Oral-B. It is very feature rich and high tech for a toothbrush. It has bluetooth connectivity, position detection and smart phone holder to name just a few of the features. Are these features worth the price of the Oral-B Genius 8000?

1) Features – Oral-B Genius 8000

Styling

This electric toothbrush comes in only one colour white. It is a very good looking electric toothbrush with two buttons on the front of it, an on/off button and a down button and a soft touch rubberised grip on the back. The handle size is slightly chunkier than the slimline Pro series however I think this makes the Oral-B Genius 8000 feel more solid. On the front of the electric toothbrush is four pictures that light up to indicate what cleaning mode you are in. This is a neat feature that cheaper electric toothbrushes in the Oral-B range do not have. There is also a symbol to indicate when the Bluetooth has been switched on and a battery indicator light as well.

Quadpacer timer

The Oral-B Genius 8000 features the Oral-B quadpacer timer which is a timer that “buzzes” every 30 seconds. These 30 seconds corresponds to when you should change area of the mouth and I find it a useful reminder when brushing. It also buzzes twice to indicate when the two minutes are over and you can stop brushing.

Bluetooth connectivity, smartphone holder and position detection

As standard on the Oral-B Genius 8000 it comes with bluetooth connectivity which allows it to connect with your smartphone. If you have an apple phone or android there is an Oral-B app out there. The Oral-B app has gone through many versions  and although a little glitchy to start with it is now much improved.  Some of things that the Oral-B app does is:

• Sends push reminders for you to brush your teeth twice a day
• Motivates you to keep brushing your teeth by giving you achievements and badges, a bit like fit bit for your teeth
• Gives professional guidance about how to brush your teeth better

With the Oral-B Genius 8000 the Oral-B app also has additional functionality with position detection and a smartphone holder. The smartphone holder is a useful addition as often you don’t want to put your phone down next to the sink (most smartphones are not waterproof). The smartphone holder looks like something you may have in your car, a suction pad to stick onto a mirror and some grippers to hold your phone. It is simple but effective.

The reason the smartphone holder is needed is for proper use of the position detection. What position detection does is spot the areas you are missing whilst brushing. It is really common for people to brush one side of their mouth well and the other side badly. Usually this is the left hand side of your mouth if you are right handed and vice versa. Position detection points out the areas that you have missed and means you clean your teeth better.

Visible pressure sensor and 360 degree smart ring

Like it’s brethren the Oral-B Genius 9000 (which is also an excellent electric toothbrush if a tad more expensive) the Oral-B genius 8000 has a visible pressure sensor and a fully customisable 360 degree smart ring. I think a visible pressure sensor is an essential addition for any good electric toothbrush as most people press too firmly when they brush. This leads to unnecessary toothwear which ultimately causes sensitivity and gum recession.

The 360 degree smart ring allows you to customise the colour that the visible pressure sensor flashes. You have a choice of 12 colours which is a nice touch.

2) Mechanism of Action – Oral-B Genius 8000

The Oral-B Genius 8000 uses the 3D oscillating and rotating motion to clean away plaque from your teeth. This is my preferred mechanism of action as there is evidence that it cleans better than it’s competitor, sonic motion. Both 3D oscillating and rotating and sonic motion are better than manual toothbrushes removing 21% extra plaque compared to manual toothbrushes. This is a significant difference.

The Oral-B Genius 8000 comes with 5 cleaning modes which can be accessed by pressing the down arrow button on the front of the electric toothbrush.

Daily Clean mode

The standard cleaning mode featured on almost all Oral-B electric toothbrushes. This is the cleaning mode I use the most because it is the most useful for everyday use. It lasts for the recommended 2 minutes of cleaning and also oscillates 8,800 times and pulsates 40,000 times per minute.

Gum Care mode

A cleaning mode where the Oral-B Genius 8000 pulsates for 2 minutes that is meant to encourage bloodflow to your gums by massaging them. It changes the power and speed of the brush head from oscillating 2,600 – 8,800 times per minute and 12,000 – 40,000 pulsations per minute. I have not seen any clinical research backing up the claims for this cleaning mode so I would not use it.

Sensitive mode

I like this cleaning mode as it is a reduced power daily clean mode. This is particularly useful for people with sensitive teeth or people who tend to press too firmly with their toothbrush. In this mode the Oral-B genius 8000 will oscillate at 6,500 times and 30,000 pulsations every minute. The cleaning mode lasts for 2 minutes.

Whitening mode

This cleaning mode does not whiten your teeth. In fact no toothbrush can actually whiten your teeth. They can remove stains which may your teeth appear whiter but this is not whitening. This cleaning mode is effectively a 2 minute 20 second daily clean mode. I almost never use this cleaning mode.

Pro-Clean mode

A longer duration 3 minute 30 second daily clean mode that oscillates 8,800 and 40,000 pulsations per minute. Not to be used for regularly but can be particularly useful if your teeth feel particularly grubby for example after coming off a long haul flight. I use this cleaning mode sparingly on the Oral-B Genius 8000.

No Tongue Cleaning mode

The tongue cleaning mode is missing on the Oral-B Genius 8000. Your tongue harbours bacteria which can lead to bad breath (Halitosis). If you do want your electric toothbrush to clean your tongue you will have to look into the Oral-B Genius 9000.

Brush heads

The Oral-B genius 8000 is compatible with the Oral-B range of brush heads. Oral-B do offer a great range of brush heads which are cheap and good quality. My particular favourite would be the Oral-B Cross Action because of the angulation of the bristles and small, round head size. The Oral-B Genius 8000 comes with a cross action brush head, a  sensitive brush head and the Oral-B 3D white.

3) Battery Life – Oral-B Genius 8000

One of the best things about this electric toothbrush is the extended battery life. On cheaper models in the Oral-B range, the electric toothbrushes will only last for 5 days (around 20 minutes of usage) however on this electric toothbrush the battery should last 2 weeks (around 48 minutes of usage). This is much more practical as there is nothing more frustrating than getting to your electric toothbrush and it is flat.

Also the battery recharges quickly taking 5-6 hours from flat. This is because the Oral-B Genius 8000 has a superior quality lithium ion battery.

The charging station featured on the Oral-B Genius 8000 is simple in design but effective. It houses 4 extra brush heads which is useful if sharing the same electric toothbrush handle or if you use different brush heads in the morning and evening. The charging station has a 2 pin plug which means that you will either need a shaving plug in your bathroom or a 2 pin to 3 pin adaptor. The adaptor can be picked up at local hardware stores or from Amazon.

Portability Oral B Genius 8000

The Oral-B Genius 8000 comes with a beautiful, premium travel case. Although this does not charge the toothbrush and a smartphone like the Oral-B Genius 9000 , it is still a really good quality travel case. The travel case comes in white and has a leather effect covering which is soft to the touch. It houses the Oral-B Genius 8000 electric toothbrush handle and 2 x brush heads.

The Oral-B Genius 8000 is slightly chunkier and heavier than the Oral-B Pro series or Smart Series range however it is still light enough to fit into your hand luggage when travelling on your holidays.

5) Value for Money Oral-B Genius 8000

The Oral-B Genius 8000 current RRP is £259.99 which is ridiculous. Never pay RRP for an Oral-B electric toothbrush because they are always on offer on Amazon. The Oral-B Genius 8000 on Amazon is currently . This represents great value for money especially considering the technology on this electric toothbrush and the quality of the parts. For the price you will also get a 2 year warranty which can be extended to 3 years on the Oral-B website.

The only other running costs that you will need to bear in mind (other than the minor costs for electricity and water) are brush heads. A 8 pack of cross action brush heads costs . This coupled with a minimum usage time of 3 years for the electric toothbrush handle (if the Oral-B genius 8000 were to last until the warranty ran out) would give a per day cost of 13p per day. Factoring in the improvements in your oral health and the likely less frequent visits to your dentist this makes it good value.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Is the Oral-B Genius 8000 waterproof?

Yes it is and can be used in the shower if you so wish.

Is this electric toothbrush noisy?

No it is not noisy. If you are a first time electric toothbrush user you will find it more noisy than a manual toothbrush but it is not very noticeable.

I am confused between going for the Oral-B Genius 8000 vs Oral-B Genius 9000, which one would you go for?

I would personally go for the Oral-B Genius 8000 because it costs less although the Oral-B Genius 9000 does have some useful features that the Oral-B Genius 8000 does not have. I wrote an article on this here.

Would you go for an Oral-B electric toothbrush over a Philips Sonicare?

Yes I would because of Oral-B’s tend to clean better because of the 3D Oscillating rotating motion. I wrote a good article on this here.

Is the Oral-B Genius 8000 better than the Oral-B Smartseries 6500?

Yes I like the position detection and smartphone holder and think they are useful additions. The Oral-B Smartseries 6500 does have some great features like the wireless smart guide and also comes in a sleek looking black colour.

Summary Oral-B Genius 8000

The Oral-B Genius 8000 is my favourite electric toothbrush for 2017 . This is because it offers a great range of features for the price of the electric toothbrush. You will struggle to find a better electric toothbrush on the market which offers such a complete package.