Exemplary method and/or apparatus embodiments for intraoral imaging modify the gums of a patient with indicia, spaced apart over a region of interest. Optical images for surface contour, spanning the region of interest, are acquired, with reflectance images of the region of interest that include the indicia. Exemplary method and/or apparatus embodiments form patch mesh images from the surface contour images, wherein each patch mesh image characterizes the surface contour of a partial portion of the region of interest. The patch mesh images are combined to form a mesh representative of the region of interest according to the plurality of reflectance images of the indicia. The mesh representative of the region of interest can be displayed, stored, or transmitted.
