By 1949, he discovered that thin, round-ended, nylon filaments would be gentle on the gums yet effective for cleaning teeth.[6][7]
Hutson patented a toothbrush in 1950. The application for a design patent for his "Hutson toothbrush" was filed on January 13, 1950, and U.S. Design Patent No. 160,604 was granted on October 24 the same year.[8]
In 1958, he was granted a utility patent for a "mouthbrush" having fine, soft, flat-ended nylon bristles, and a similar appearance to the 1950 design.[9] He claimed in his application that the brush was less abrasive to tooth enamel, more effective at massaging the gums, and better at picking up tooth powder than other brushes available at the time, which featured coarse, angle-cut bristles.[citation needed]
The toothbrushes were made by the Owens Brush Company. The partners placed a $10,000 order for brushes and hired the first two salespeople. In order to create demand for new brushes, the sales team devoted almost all of their time to communicating with dentists, passing samples, and outreach work. The result of these efforts has been a steady increase in the number of orders. The next successful step was the decision to participate in the conventions and conferences of dentists held in the state of California.[citation needed]
Robert Hutson also created the Oral-B brand name. The first product was known as the "Oral-B 60",[10] because it had 60 tufts.[11] Other sizes were made with differing numbers of tufts and corresponding names.[6] Hutson sold his toothbrush business in the 1960s, and continued his San Jose periodontal practice.[6][12][13][14][15]
Oral-B became part of theGillette group in 1984.[16]Braun, also part of the Gillette group at that time, started to use the Oral-B brand forelectric toothbrushes.Procter & Gamble bought Gillette in 2005 and marketed Oral-B together withCrest under Pro-Health in 2007.[17][18]A company representative has stated that the "B" in Oral-B stands for "brush".[19]
In 2013, Colombian singerShakira was chosen as the brand ambassador and spokesperson for the 3D White property.[20]
2005: Oral-B Triumph ProfessionalCare 9000 enters the North American market featuring "smart technology". The Gillette Company is acquired by Procter & Gamble, uniting Oral-B and Crest beneath the umbrella of P&G Oral Care.[30]
2010: Oral-B Triumph 5000 enters the international market, equipped with touch, sound and light indicators that notify of the need to change the nozzle.
Oral-B's iO is a series of electric toothbrushes. The series receivedADA's"Seal of Acceptance",[31] and three offerings appear in the top five highest scoring products reported by Consumer Reports in 2026.[32] It usesoscillation rotation, which was introduced by Oral-B in the 1990s.
The iO series, introduced in 2020, represents a technological shift within Oral-B’s product lineup, replacing traditional mechanical drive systems with a magnetic drive designed to deliver energy more directly to the brush head while reducing noise and vibration[33]. Across the lineup, iO models incorporate pressure sensors, motion tracking, and app-based guidance features. Newer releases expanded these capabilities, with the iO Series 10 positioned as the most advanced model, adding a magnetic charging stand with real-time feedback and faster charging, while retaining the same core oscillation-rotation brushing mechanism used throughout the series.
