Reduction and removal of artifacts from a three-dimensional dental x-ray data set using surface scan information

A system for removing artifacts caused by x-ray reflective materials from an x-ray image of a patient's teeth, the system comprising:

• an x-ray source;
• an x-ray detector that captures x-ray images;
• a surface scanner that captures a surface scan of the patient's teeth;
• and
• an image processor that constructs a three-dimensional CT model of the patient's teeth from the x-ray images and a three-dimensional surface model of the patient's teeth from the surface scan, the image processor
• resizing and orienting at least one of the surface model and the CT model so that the surface model and the CT model are of a same scale and orientation,
• overlaying the surface model on the CT model,
• detecting data points in the combined data set that extend beyond a surface of the patient's teeth in the surface model,
• removing detected data points from the CT model to create an artifact-reduced CT model, and
• displaying the artifact-reduced CT model.