You bought your Oral-B iO a few months ago and now, even though it seems to be working normally, the center of the Mode button has started to glow yellow. (According to Oral-B, it is a yellow light, but it may appear orange or amber).
Here’s what it means and how to fix it.
One of the benefits of purchasing an iO is the amount of feedback the brush will provide. They feature quadrant alerts, to let you know when to move to the next section of your mouth when brushing, a two-minute global brushing timer, and a pressure sensor that lights up red when you press too hard and green when you get it just right. RIGHT.
Your brush will also tell you when the battery is low. This is what it means when the power button turns red.
But what does it mean when the mode button – the second button below the power key – lights up yellow? This is what it looks like on the Oral-B iO Series 4 that I use daily.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The yellow light is just another type of feedback your iO provides you. This tells you it’s time to replace your toothbrush head, since you’ve been using it for about three months.
Older brush heads start to lose their effectiveness. They simply won’t clean your teeth as well as a new brush head. You can also tell when it’s time to replace the brush head if the bristles have started to pull apart or, depending on the type of brush head you’re using, when the color of the bristles has started to fade.
Once you replace your brush head, you will need to reset the brush reminder. To do this on the handle, press and hold the mode button for two seconds. The brush will vibrate in response.
To set up a new brushing reminder, go to the Oral-B app and choose “Devices” from the bottom menu. This will take you to the app page that displays brush head information. You’ll need to have your iO handy and turn it on to be able to sync it with the app.
The app will ask you when you started using the new brush head and what type it is. Once this process is complete, you are all set and will receive another reminder in three months.
For our best Oral-B recommendations, take a look at our roundup of the best Oral-B brushes, all of which are fully reviewed and tested.
