Oral-B Pro 670 review

Design, usability, clean & general use

The Oral-B Pro series have one of the best brush handle designs in my opinion.

They are not the thinnest, nor the lightest, but I believe they offer a fantastic blend between in hand comfort and grip with style and appeal (as appealing as a toothbrush can be).

It is primarily of plastic construction, with the main body of the brush being a smooth touch gloss White plastic, but the coloured rubber type material that runs down the brush handle not only accents the brush from a style point of view it also make it easier to hold in the hand, even when wet.

Those with limited dexterity will like the 670 as the grip on the front as well as the harsher contoured plastic grips on the back of the handle really help.

There are 2 parts to the brush, the handle that has all the clever bits of technology in and the detachable brush head.

Focusing on the handle, this is a sealed unit, which houses the battery inside, the motor and the electronics to make the brush head move.

The brush handle is water resistant and can be rinsed under a tap and used in a shower, if that is how you like to brush.  However, despite its water resistance it is not designed to be submerged in water.  So it is advisable not to bathe with it or let it sink below the waterline.

Far from obvious but built into the handle too is an internal pressure sensor. This slows the brush head movements when excess force is detected. The idea being it limits the damage. It does this until the pressure is relieved. Unfortunately, it is impossible to tell if it has been activated as the sound change is minimal and there are no visuals to alert you.

The front of the brush handle is dominated by a rubber grip that runs the length of the handle.  A very pale Blue colour, some might call it baby Blue.

Positioned almost at the top of the handle is a power button that is White in colour with a power icon on in.  It stands out against the rubber grip and has a nice resistance when pressed.  Not too soft that it can be accidentally activated, but not too firm it is difficult to press.

Above and below this power button are contours in the rubber that drive the eye and the finger/thumb to it.

With only a single cleaning mode on this brush the power button will turn the brush on and launch it into the ‘Daily Clean’ mode.  Press it for approximately 2 seconds to turn the brush off.

You may desire additional cleaning modes, if you do the 670 is not the brush for you.

Despite many opting for electric toothbrushes with more than one mode, it would seem from our experience, most end up actually defaulting to using just one mode, more often than not, the Daily Clean mode within a couple of month's, wasting the extra modes.

This, therefore, makes the 670 a no nonsense option, focused on offering a good clean and getting the job done.

If you would like to know more about how these cleaning modes differ you can find out more here. 

The lower third of the brush handle has the Oral-B and Braun logo in white and then a battery and charging icon below them.

These icons are transparent and have an LED light behind them that illuminate at certain times.

Red will be the colour of the charging icon when power is low on the brush, whilst the battery icon will flash green when the brush is on charge.

It would be nice if there was more feedback than this.  It would be nice if you had a green light to suggest a good amount of remaining charge or yellow for less than 50% for example, or in today’s world a small screen with a percentage (%) status, but no such luck.  

Given the often discounted price this can be excused and few in the price bracket, even considering the RRP, offer much more innovative ways of reporting such.

Why I feel it is important here is because the battery life is weaker than most other brushes so more frequently will it be depleted if not left on the charging stand.

The sides of the brush are a gloss white plastic but not too slippy to the touch.  The rear of the handle has a series of ridges that run from the top to about half way down the handle.  These act as gripping points for the hand and fingers when in use, these are particularly good if your hands are wet.

On the very bottom of the brush handle is a recess, into which the pin on the charging stand connects too.

Right at the top of the brush handle is a metal prong, this is what the brush heads connect to and feeds the power from the brush motor.

2 brush heads are included in the box, the style of these will depend on the variant you buy, but more often than not they are CrossAction heads. Other styles include 3D White and TriZone.

There are 6 main styles of brush heads available from Oral-B, although there are a couple of other specialist options too.

Click here to see the difference brush heads on offer from Oral-B. 

Fitting the heads is simple.  Align the metal prong from the top of the brush handle, with the hole in the shaft of the brush head and push the two together until you hear and feel them clip into place.  Pull the two apart to release them.

You can change or replace as frequently as you like.

One brush head per user and remember to replace the brush head for a new one on average every 3 months.

You should do this to avoid doing damage to the teeth and for hygiene reasons.  It can be difficult to remember when you last changed or replaced the heads.  

Thankfully the blue bristles you see on the head will fade over time.  When they are a very pale blue or white, you need to replace the head.

All official Oral-B heads have these fading bristles.

Provided with the 670 is the brush head stand that clips around the charging stand. The two prongs that stand upright at the back of the stand give a home to brush heads when not in use.

To extend the value form the brush you may choose to share the brush handle with a partner or family member within your home.  Just clip on and off your brush head, placing it on the stand when not in use

If you are wondering how you tell the brush heads apart, coloured rings are included that fit to the base of the brush head and act as an indicator.

One of the more cost effective brands, Oral-B brush heads typically cost around £3 per head to buy as replacements (buy larger packs to keep the cost down).

You can purchase alternative third party brands which will save more money.  These heads although often very good, will forgo features like fading bristles and not offer the range of brush head styles.

All of the brush heads provide a good clean, in my opinion, the CrossAction is the best allrounder, although the Sensitive brush head (sold separately) may be better for those opting for an electric toothbrush for the first time or suffering from tender gums.

Sadly Oral-B brushes tend to be at the noisier end of the scale compared to Colgate or Sonicare.  When running the 670 emits a bit more of a mechanical sound than the softer strong humming vibration of the others.

The Pro 670 will undoubtedly offer a better clean than a manual brush and the built-in timer will ensure you clean for the appropriate amount of time.

Built-in as standard is a 2 minute timer and quadpacer.

Imagine your mouth broken up into 4 sections. Upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left.  

You should spend 30 seconds cleaning each section.  The pacer helps you keep an even brushing time on these 4 sections.

At 30 second intervals, the brush will provide an audible warning via a slight pause in the brush motor at to tell you to change quadrant. Once the 2 minutes are up 3 brief pauses in the brush motor will be heard and felt.

The technique for brushing with an electric toothbrush is different to that of a manual brush.  Do familiarise yourself with our guide to brushing your teeth properly if you are not familiar.

Switching to an electric might be a bit daunting and you are not sure whether it is worth the investment.  You might, therefore, be pleased to hear that Oral-B offer a money back guarantee. It is essentially like a trial, whereby you can buy and try the brush.  Should you not like it you can return it for a refund.  This is particularly useful if you are unsure whether an electric toothbrush is for you.  Find out more about it here. 

If you keep the brush, you will be pleased to know it comes with a 2 year warranty as standard, but register the brush online with Oral-B and you can extend this to 3 years (36 months).  No other leading brand offers quite such a long warranty.