Method for acquiring a dental object

A method for acquiring an image of a dental object of a patient, the dental object having an object volume, the method comprising:

• computing a plurality of segment volume ranges in the object volume,
• the plurality of segment volume ranges including a first segment volume range that extends over a left side of a jaw of the patient and is elongated along a first direction that extends generally from a front of the jaw to a rear of the left side of the jaw,
• the plurality of segment volume ranges including a second segment volume range that extends over a right side of the jaw of the patient and is elongated along a second direction that extends generally from the front of the jaw to a rear of the right side of the jaw,
• the first direction and the second direction being on opposite sides of a midsagittal plane of a head of the patient,
• the plurality of segment volume ranges including a third segment volume range that at least partially includes the midsagittal plane of the head of the patient,
• the plurality of segment volume ranges overlapping at most partially proximate the front of the jaw;
• recording, within a measuring volume of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, image data of the plurality of segment volume ranges;
• and
• generating a two-dimensional composite image from the image data of the plurality of segment volume ranges by projecting the image data onto a target plane, wherein the target plane is disposed parallel to the midsagittal plane of the head of the patient.