Holger Willems, CEO and co-founder of Relu, reflects on the company’s journey.
“Relu pioneered AI in dentistry in 2019 with automatic CBCT segmentation of single teeth for tooth autotransplantation—long before AI became a trend. From single teeth, we expanded to mandibles, full skulls, and critical anatomy such as mandibular canals and maxillary sinuses. A major breakthrough came with combining CBCT data and digital impressions, which reduced artifacts and enabled digital orthodontic planning with roots and bone at scale. Many aligner and digital bonding companies adopted our technology.
Building on this foundation, Relu advanced into automated implant planning, surgical guide design, and restorative designs. Today, we partner with orthodontic, implant, and restorative professionals worldwide to push the limits of AI in dentistry.”
a decade of digital transformation
a decade of digital transformation
Ten years ago, digital dentistry was still in its infancy. CBCT imaging and CAD/CAM workflows existed, but design work was still highly manual and time-consuming. Fast forward a decade, and the landscape looks completely different: AI-powered dentistry and automation are now part of everyday practice.
Relu, today the number one AI dental designer in Europe, has been leading this shift. What began with CBCT segmentation of a single tooth in 2019 has evolved into the CE-certified virtual patient. And just recently, we brought CE-certified implant planning, surgical guide design, and dental splints design to the world.
These technologies have made AI more than just a concept. It is becoming the backbone of modern dentistry, giving dentists, dental laboratories, and dental assistants the tools to deliver faster, safer, and more predictable outcomes.
Milestone 1: Segmentation of CBCT
Milestone 1: Segmentation of CBCT
Relu’s first breakthrough came in 2019 with automatic CBCT tooth segmentation. What used to take hours of manual labor could now be completed in minutes to plan a tooth autotransplantation.
The software quickly expanded to cover full jaws, skulls, mandibular canals, and maxillary sinuses, making AI segmentation the clinical foundation for dental workflows. To bring this capability into daily practice worldwide, we partnered with leading implant planning and imaging software providers such as Planmeca, Ray, X-Nav, Claronav, and Medialab. Through seamless API integrations, Relu became the AI backbone powering their software solutions.
This step was critical in building trust: AI could deliver clinically valid results consistently and at scale, directly inside the tools clinicians were already using.
“The virtual patient: unprecedented accuracy and predictability in orthodontics and implant planning.”
Milestone 2: The virtual patient - Fusion of CBCT and intraoral scans
Milestone 2: The virtual patient - Fusion of CBCT and intraoral scans
Our second milestone marked a breakthrough in digital orthodontics: the creation of the virtual patient. By integrating CBCT data with intraoral scans, we eliminated crown artifacts and produced clinically accurate 3D models.
For the first time, orthodontists and dentists could plan treatments with a complete picture—integrating roots, crowns, and bone into one model. This shift not only set a new standard for digital bonding and clear aligner design but also helped to avoid root collisions and prevent roots from being moved outside of the bone during treatment. This technology was soon adopted by many leading orthodontic firms, including DIBS AI, LightForce, and SmilersLab.
The result: unprecedented accuracy and predictability in orthodontics and implant planning. It remains one of the most requested features on relu.ai today.
Milestone 3: implant planning & surgical guides
Milestone 3: implant planning & surgical guides
Relu’s virtual patient technology was the natural foundation for our next breakthrough—automated implant planning. (Just released!)
By already mapping the teeth’s positions, mandibular canals, bone boundaries, and maxillary sinuses, Relu created a complete anatomical model. This meant that, when we introduced implant planning, all the key anatomical information was already in place.
By combining this with our intraoral scan alignment technology, Relu could automatically generate surgical guides that fit seamlessly into the restorative-driven workflow.
Relu has now reached a landmark achievement: CE certification for AI-driven implant planning and surgical guide design. This means that AI is no longer a promising experiment; it is now an integral part of the recommended digital workflow for modern implantology.
“AI is no longer a promising experiment, it is now part of the digital workflow for modern implantology.”
Why AI implant planning matters
Why AI implant planning matters
With Relu’s cloud-based AI platform, dentists and laboratories can rely on:
- Instant implant proposals that are crown-driven.
- Automatic nerve and sinus detection for safer outcomes.
- Restorative-driven workflows that seamlessly align surgery and prosthetics.
- Cloud access from any device, without heavy software or hardware investments.
For both chairside work and full-service laboratories, this translates into higher case capacity, less back-and-forth with clinicians, and dramatically reduced turnaround times.
From weeks to minutes
From weeks to minutes
Traditionally, surgical guide design was a slow, technician-heavy process that required multiple approval loops.
Relu transforms this:
- The implant plan is generated in minutes.
- The surgical guide is designed instantly.
- The dentist reviews and approves the output chairside.
The result: a workflow that eliminates weeks of delay and makes scan-to-surgery in record time a reality.
Safety First: CE-certified & clinically validated
Safety First: CE-certified & clinically validated
Yes. Relu’s implant planning is CE-certified, clinically validated, and crown-driven by design. Automatic nerve and sinus detection ensures safety, while chairside approval keeps clinicians in control. The outcome: immediate, safe, and predictable treatment proposals that scale effortlessly across practices and laboratories.
Milestone 4: dental models and dental splints
Milestone 4: dental models and dental splints
We also just launched one of the most requested dental design automations: splint design and corresponding dental model design.
Splints (also referred to as night guards) are among the most commonly prescribed devices in dentistry. In fact, around 50% of the population could benefit from wearing one. Despite their wide use, they remain one of the most time-consuming devices to design manually.
At the same time, dental technicians and laboratories worldwide face severe staffing shortages, making AI-driven splint design not just a convenience but a critical solution for scaling production, reducing bottlenecks, and ensuring patients receive timely care.
With Relu AI:
- Splints are automatically designed in minutes instead of hours.
- Laboratories can scale production without hiring additional staff.
- Dentists benefit from faster turnaround times, consistent fit, and repeatable quality.
AI automatically designs splints—including Michigan splints and flat plane splints—in just minutes, eliminating hours of manual design, helps laboratories scale production despite staffing shortages, and ensures consistent, high-quality results for every patient.
Splints breakdown: Michigan splints and flat splints
Splints breakdown: Michigan splints and flat splints
Two of the most frequent requests are Michigan splints (also known as stabilization splints) and flat splints. Traditionally, these required precise manual design to ensure functional occlusion, patient comfort, and durability.
With Relu’s automation:
- Michigan splints—created for patients with bruxism, TMJ disorders, or muscle pain—can be generated quickly with accurate occlusal surfaces, reducing manual adjustment. Final adjustments and controls are still performed by the dental professional.
- Flat splints are often prescribed for bruxism or night grinding. They are automatically designed with even occlusal contacts and smooth surfaces, ensuring both comfort and long-term wearability. In addition, final refinements are performed by the dental professional.
This automation not only saves valuable skilled technician time but also ensures standardized, reproducible designs across all cases of your practice or laboratory. If you’re curious, you could try both by making an account on www.relu.ai!
“AI is no longer a promising experiment, it is now part of the digital workflow for modern implantology.”
The next frontier: restorative designs and multidisciplinary dentistry
The next frontier: restorative designs and multidisciplinary dentistry
Looking beyond dental splints, Relu’s next stop is AI for restorative and cosmetic dentistry. The following capabilities will follow soon:
- Crown design
- Bridge design
- Inlays and onlays
- Custom trays
- Removable prosthetics like (partial) dentures
With capabilities in orthodontics, implantology, and restorative dentistry, Relu facilitates a future where these different disciplines can more easily collaborate to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients.
Today, AI supports crown design, bridges, custom trays, bleaching trays, and dental models. The next frontier is AI (partial) dentures—widely regarded as the holy grail of restorative dentistry. Over the coming decade, these capabilities will create a seamless bridge between orthodontics, implants, and restorative workflows.
Our Vision for the Next Decade
The vision of Relu is clear for the next decade: 80% of dental designs needed in orthodontics, restorative dentistry, and implantology will be highly automated. With such AI, dental design, dentists, technicians, and assistants will be better aligned, resulting in smoother and more predictable workflows that will benefit patients worldwide.
The coming years will see AI in dentistry transition from early adoption to everyday mainstream use in dental practices and laboratories. The key drivers will be:
- Standardization: clear, validated protocols across practices and laboratories.
- Education: training clinicians and technicians to collaborate effectively with AI tools.
- Integration: seamless workflows from imaging to final restoration.
- Validation: CE and FDA approvals make AI a trusted standard.
AI will not replace dental professionals. Instead, it will function as a co-pilot, enabling them to help more patients with greater precision and confidence.
Interested to learn more?
Interested to learn more?
Book a demo on www.relu.ai!