Intra-oral scanning device with integrated optical coherence tomography (OCT)

An intra-oral scanning device includes a light source and an optical system, and communicates with a display system. The device provides for more efficient transmission and capture of images. It integrates OCT scanning with RGB-based scanning. In operation, the device is used for recording topological characteristics of teeth, dental impressions, or stone models by digital methods and for use in CAD/CAM of dental restorative prosthetic devices. To that end, the RGB-based scan obtains surface data (e.g., a margin), while the OCT scan penetrates the surface. The two scanners operate from within the same physical housing and preferably at the same time such that only one scanning pass (to obtain all necessary data) is required. The 3D data obtained from the OCT scan is registered with the 3D data obtained from the RGB-based scan by virtue of being captured using a common return path. Preferably, the 3D surface data is used to align the volume data, such that the OCT scan operates over a much sparser scanning volume than would otherwise be required if the OCT scan were carried out separately. In this manner, there is less stitching of data required to build the output images, thereby enabling a "one-pass" operation.