A method for determining dental alignment of a 3-dimensional model of one
or more teeth of a patient comprises the steps of: (a) obtaining a
radiograph of the teeth of the patient; (b) obtaining a digital image
from the radiograph indicative of the dental alignment of the teeth
relative to a dental arch of the patient; (c) overlaying the
3-dimensional model of the teeth with the digital image obtained from the
radiograph; (d) determining vertical and horizontal mis-alignment of the
teeth in the 3-dimensional model relative to the digital image obtained
from the radiograph; and (e) adjusting the 3-dimensional model to correct
for the mis-alignment, thereby producing an adjusted 3-dimensional model
of the teeth that is corrected for the vertical and horizontal alignment
of the teeth relative to the dental arch.