What It Is
Relu is a Belgian AI company that has built what is arguably the most impressive automated CBCT segmentation software in dentistry. Their flagship product, Relu Creator, takes a CBCT scan and uses artificial intelligence to segment it into a detailed 3D model — mandible, maxilla, individual teeth, sinuses, airway, and mandibular canals — in under 15 minutes. What used to take a trained technician 2-4 hours of manual work now happens automatically in the cloud.
The company has also expanded into Relu Automate for dental lab design automation and Relu Engine, an API that lets other software companies embed Relu's AI segmentation into their own platforms. Partners include Planmeca, Ray, X-Nav, Claronav, and Medialab. When you see "AI-powered segmentation" in another company's product, there's a good chance Relu is the engine underneath.
Both CE marked and FDA 510(k) cleared, Relu operates in a regulatory tier that most dental AI startups haven't reached.
Who It's For
Relu Creator targets implantologists, oral surgeons, orthodontists, and any clinician doing CBCT-guided treatment planning. If you're placing implants and need to plan around the mandibular canal, or you're an orthodontist assessing root positions and airway, Relu turns your CBCT data into actionable 3D models.
The software is also increasingly relevant for practices offering virtual treatment planning consultations. By merging CBCT data with intraoral scans and facial photographs, Relu creates a "virtual patient" that enables comprehensive digital planning and patient communication.
Dental labs using Relu Automate get AI-assisted design for surgical guides, splints, and other prosthetic components — reducing design time and manual labor.
Key Features
AI CBCT Segmentation: Upload a CBCT scan and receive segmented 3D models of all anatomical structures in under 15 minutes. The AI handles mandible, maxilla, individual tooth segmentation, sinus boundaries, airway volume, and mandibular canal tracing. Accuracy is clinically validated.
Multi-Scan Fusion: Automatically aligns and merges CBCT scans, digital impressions (intraoral scans), and facial scans into a single virtual patient. This fusion is the foundation for comprehensive digital treatment planning.
Surgical Guide Design: Relu's latest innovation is 1-click surgical guide generation — from CBCT to printable surgical implant guide with minimal manual intervention. This collapses what used to be a multi-step, multi-software workflow into a single process.
Relu Engine (API): For software developers and companies that want to embed Relu's AI segmentation into their own platforms. This B2B play has made Relu the backbone of several major imaging software products.
Relu Automate: AI-powered design automation for dental labs, handling surgical guides, dental splints, and chairside lab workflows.
Pros
- Strong AI CBCT segmentation — under 15 minutes versus hours of manual work
- FDA 510(k) cleared and CE marked for regulated clinical use
- Pay-per-case pricing eliminates subscription waste
- Multi-scan fusion creates a comprehensive virtual patient
- Powers other major imaging platforms via Relu Engine API
- 1-click surgical guide design is genuinely revolutionary
- Used by 4,000+ dentists with strong clinical validation
Cons
- Per-case pricing not publicly listed, making cost planning difficult
- Requires high-quality CBCT scans — garbage in, garbage out still applies
- Learning curve for practitioners unfamiliar with 3D treatment planning workflows
- European company — support hours may not align with US time zones
- Not a standalone treatment planning platform — works alongside other software
- The technology moves fast, requiring ongoing learning to stay current