Best Oral-B brush heads: which is the best replacement head for your electric toothbrush? (2024)

Got an Oral-B electric toothbrush but not sure which brush heads are the right ones for you? This Oral-B brush heads comparison will help…

Finding the best electric toothbrush can be daunting enough without having to then worry about which heads you’re going to pop on the end of it. But with so many different replacement heads to choose from, something as simple as good oral hygiene isn’t as straightforward as it should be. How are you supposed to know which brush head is the best one for your mouth?

Well, Oral-B currently stocks around nine different toothbrush head designs, each of which have been developed with a different use case in mind, so it’s just a matter of knowing which head is best suited to your needs and the result you’re wanting. Learning about different types of brush heads will help with this but instead of hunting around online yourself, we thought we’d summarise it for you.

Check out our 'Philips Sonicare vs Oral-B: what's the difference and which is better?' Article - which goes into more detail about this - if you’re unsure which brand to go for.

Here is your definitive guide to Oral-B toothbrush heads, the differences between the designs and which user is best suited to each type of head.

How to find the best brush head for you

Most of Oral-B’s toothbrushes make use of an oscillating-rotating power mechanism, with their brush heads pulsating to loosen plaque and then oscillating to sweep it away. However, there are a few key differences that make each one unique.

The first thing you’re going to want to look for in a replacement toothbrush head is that it not only fits your mouth and reaches all your teeth but it fits the toothbrush model you own, too. Luckily, all of Oral-B’s current brush heads fit all of its different electric toothbrush handles no matter the model (with the exception of the Oral-B iO range, which we’ll talk about later on), so at least you don’t have that to worry about.

Here are the different brush heads currently available from Oral-B, how they differ and who they are best suited to:

CrossAction

This is what Oral-B refers to as its “most advanced” brush head, with angled bristles that have been designed to reach deep between teeth to offer much better cleaning than a regular manual toothbrush.

Sensi UltraThin

Made with softer bristles, this brush head is perfect for those with sensitive gums. Oral-B claims that it’s able to reduce gum inflammation by 100% versus a regular manual toothbrush.

Precision Clean

Made for those who are a bit anal when it comes to brushing their gnashers, the Precision Clean head boasts a set of bristles that sweep away plaque, offering a more tooth-by-tooth clean, leaving a fresher-feeling mouth and healthier gums.

Floss Action

This is a toothbrush head for those that always forget to floss. It features special “MicroPulse” bristles that provide an interdental floss-like clean to get between teeth and loosen plaque.

Trizone

Sporting three bristle zones, Oral-B’s Trizone brush head is the one to go for if you’re looking for a super deep clean. This is also Oral-B’s only non-circular brush head design and has been designed this way so users can brush as they would with a manual brush, offering much easier handling. Ideal for those new to using an electric toothbrush.

3D White

Designed for those who perhaps drink a lot of coffee or red wine, this brush head has been designed to lift stains from the teeth for a whiter appearance. It does this by using a polishing cup that whitens teeth by removing surface stains. Oral-B says users should see the effects of this in just two weeks.

Ortho Care

Wearing braces and not sure where to begin when it comes to brush heads? Oral-B has a special brush head pack called Ortho Care, which has been developed to help clean more easily around braces and other hard-to-reach places. This includes an interdental head, too, so you can get rid of any food wedged in between brace tracks. And no one wants that.

Oral B iO brush heads

The Oral-B AI-powered toothbrush, known as the iO, is the only model in Oral-B’s line-up that has a distinctively different design from the other toothbrush heads on the market. These are the only heads that won’t fit any other Oral-B electric toothbrushes.

This head differs from the more conventional oscillating-rotating mechanism because it boasts a frictionless magnetic drive system that transfers energy towards the tips of the bristles. This feels almost sonic in the way it moves, like a Philips Sonicare toothbrush head but isn’t as it employs more energy.

There are two different iO brush heads available on the market at present, the Ultimate Clean head and the Gentle Care head.

The great thing about the Ultimate Clean head is that it has a unique “tuft-in-tuft” structure, which helps you to reach deeper in between teeth and this remove up to 100% more plaque along the gum line. Thus, Oral-B says, helps achieve cleaner teeth and healthier gums.

The main difference between this and the Gentle Care head is that the latter is designed for those who suffer from sensitive gums. With a specially-designed overlay of concave and convex bristle trim patterns, the Gentle Care head provides a cushioning outer ring of bristles that boast the smallest diameter filaments of any Oral-B brush head. This makes it extra gentle so to protect sensitive teeth and gums.

Liked this?

• Best cheap electric toothbrush deals: better cleaning, less spending
• Best children's electric toothbrushes: brushes for little gnashers
• Oral-B iO9 review