An intraoral scanning apparatus has a mouthpiece and a transport apparatus that defines at least a first curved track within the mouthpiece. An image sensor is movable along the first curved track. A scanner is movable along the first curved track, scanning in synchronization with the image sensor and having an illumination source that has a laser light source and beam-shaping optics in the path of the laser light for forming a linear light pattern. At least one actuator is energizable to move the image sensor and scanner along the first curved track for image acquisition. A control logic processor synchronizes the scanner and image sensor for automated acquisition of surface contour data. A display is in signal communication with the control logic processor to process and display the acquired surface contour data.

Method and apparatus embodiments can generate a volume fluorescence image of a tooth. Method and apparatus embodiments can project structured light patterns onto a tooth and generate a contour (volume) image of the tooth surface from acquired corresponding structured light projection images; then acquire one or more fluorescence images of the tooth generated under blue-UV illumination. A composite image that shows fluorescence image content mapped to the generated contour image can be transmitted, stored, modified and/or displayed.

A computer system and computerized method in which orthodontic treatment, including midcourse correction of one or more teeth in a dental arch fitted with a dental appliance, comprises a virtual simulation of a dental arch fitted with a virtual dental appliance in which each of the one or more teeth can be discretely moved from an initial position to a final position allowing modification of the fitted dental appliance by computerized selection of one or more brackets and production of a bonding tray adapted to hold the selected brackets in correspondence to determined bracket bonding locations in the virtual simulation of dental arch.

A method for detecting demineralization of a tooth substance, including the steps of irradiating (S101) a structured light pattern onto the tooth substance; detecting (S102) a light intensity of the light pattern remitted from the volume of the tooth substance; and determining (S103) demineralization of the tooth substance based on the detected light intensity.

A method of manufacturing customized ceramic labial/lingual orthodontic brackets by digital light processing, said method comprises measuring dentition data of a profile of teeth of a patient, wherein measuring dentition data is performed using a CT scanner or intra-oral scanner, based on the dentition data, creating a three dimensional computer-assisted design (3D CAD) model of the patient's teeth using reverse engineering, and saving the 3D CAD model on a computer, designing a 3D CAD bracket structure model for a single labial or lingual bracket structure, importing the 3D CAD bracket structure model into a Digital Light Processing (DLP) machine, directly producing the bracket by layer manufacturing.

A dental device tracking method including acquiring, using an imager of a dental device, at least a first image which includes an image of at least one user body portion outside of a user’s oral cavity; identifying the at least one user body portion in the first image; and determining, using the at least the first image, a position of the dental device with respect to the at least one user body portion.

Exemplary method and apparatus embodiments according to the applications can provide calibration of a dental scanning device. An exemplary dental apparatus can include a sensing apparatus including at least one lens and a sensor that is configured to obtain one or more images of at least one surface position, and a calibration target including a spatial light modulator configured to form a prescribed set of calibration patterns, and whose display plane corresponds to the at least one surface position.

A three-dimensional (3D) dental scanning system (1) for scanning a dental object (D) includes a scanning surface (124a) to support the dental object (D); a scanning section (130) to capture a 3D scan of the dental object (D); a motion section (120) to move the scanning surface (124a) and scanning section (130) relative to each other in five axes of motion, whilst retaining the scanning surface (124a) in a substantially horizontal plane, and a control unit (140) configured to control the motion section (120) and the scanning section (130) to obtain a 3D scan of the dental object (D).

A method for measuring regions of a tooth in a mouth including: measuring at least one surface point on a surface of the tooth with respect to an element mechanically coupled to said surface point; determining a location of at least one visible reference mechanically coupled to said surface point with respect to said element; estimating a location of said surface point with respect to said visible reference. A device used for such measuring may include a main body comprising a final optical element of an imager which defines an optical field of view directed in a first direction; and a measurement element coupled to said main body extending generally in said first direction; where a tip of said measurement element is sized and shaped to be inserted between a tooth and adjacent gingiva; where said optical field of view is sized to image at least part of a tooth.

An intra-oral optical scanning method for intra-oral optical scanning including projecting a pattern, the pattern including at least a first area illuminated by a first color of light and a second area illuminated by a second color of light and at least one non-illuminated area onto an intra-oral feature, making a first image of the first area, the second area and the non-illuminated area differentiating between the first color of light and the second color of light in the first image of the projected pattern, and determining from the image of the non-illuminated area at least one of an ambient light level, a level of scattered light, a level of light absorption and a level of light reflected from at least one of the first area and the second area. Related apparatus and methods are also described.