US Patent 9626462 Detecting tooth wear using intra-oral 3D scans

A method for detecting tooth wear using digital 3D models of teeth taken at different times. The digital 3D models of teeth are segmented to identify individual teeth within the digital 3D model. The segmentation includes performing a first segmentation method that over segments at least some of the teeth within the model and a second segmentation method that classifies points within the model as being either on an interior of a tooth or on a boundary between teeth. The results of the first and second segmentation methods are combined to generate segmented digital 3D models. The segmented digital 3D models of teeth are compared to detect tooth wear by determining differences between the segmented models, where the differences relate to the same tooth to detect wear on the tooth over time.