A unitary, portable scanning device for performing a dental scan on a subject, said device comprising: a scanning probe (203; 310) comprising an extending arm (204; 312) coupled at one end to a mobility mechanism and at another end having a scanning probe head (205; 311) comprising a light source for generating an image of an arbitrarily shaped structure, said mobility mechanism providing for extension/retraction and lateral movement of the scanning probe from a fixed reference point, said mobility mechanism and at least a part of the extending arm of said scanning probe being encased within a housing body formed as a hollow shell having a chamber for encasing at least a portion of a scanning probe and encasing a mobility mechanism for moving the scanning probe, said housing body having an opening formed therein to receive and engage a patient contacting fixture for contacting the patient during a scanning procedure and thereby providing a fixed reference point for the scanner probe head, wherein the patient contacting fixture is a mouthpiece (102; 301) positioned intraorally during a scanning procedure, wherein the mouthpiece is a bite fixture having top and bottom faces (302, 303) separated by side walls (304, 305) to form a hollow bite fixture onto which the subject can bite down upon during a scanning procedure, said hollow mouthpiece having distal and proximal ends, wherein the proximal end engages with the opening of the housing body and is open for communicating with the chamber of the housing body, wherein said open proximal end of said mouthpiece receives and allows movement of the scanning probe during a scanning procedure. a scanning probe (203; 310) comprising an extending arm (204; 312) coupled at one end to a mobility mechanism and at another end having a scanning probe head (205; 311) comprising a light source for generating an image of an arbitrarily shaped structure, said mobility mechanism providing for extension/retraction and lateral movement of the scanning probe from a fixed reference point, said mobility mechanism and at least a part of the extending arm of said scanning probe being encased within a housing body formed as a hollow shell having a chamber for encasing at least a portion of a scanning probe and encasing a mobility mechanism for moving the scanning probe, said housing body having an opening formed therein to receive and engage a patient contacting fixture for contacting the patient during a scanning procedure and thereby providing a fixed reference point for the scanner probe head, wherein the patient contacting fixture is a mouthpiece (102; 301) positioned intraorally during a scanning procedure, wherein the mouthpiece is a bite fixture having top and bottom faces (302, 303) separated by side walls (304, 305) to form a hollow bite fixture onto which the subject can bite down upon during a scanning procedure, said hollow mouthpiece having distal and proximal ends, wherein the proximal end engages with the opening of the housing body and is open for communicating with the chamber of the housing body, wherein said open proximal end of said mouthpiece receives and allows movement of the scanning probe during a scanning procedure.