A handheld intraoral dental 3D camera comprising: a hand-held housing which includes: an optical unit comprising: an illuminating means for producing light, and a projecting means for projecting the light produced by the illuminating means onto a region of a tooth surface of a patient; a sensing unit for sensing an image of the projected light reflected by the region, wherein the illuminating means comprises a semiconductor laser for producing the light; characterised in that : the projection means comprises phosphor which is remotely arranged to receive the light produced by the semiconductor laser , wherein the projection means is further adapted to condense the light of the semiconductor laser onto the phosphor , and to project the fluorescent light from the phosphor onto the region of the tooth surface of the patient and in that the projection means comprises a cooling plate having a reflective section , wherein the phosphor is arranged on the reflective section in thermal contact with the cooling plate . a hand-held housing which includes: an optical unit comprising: an illuminating means for producing light, and a projecting means for projecting the light produced by the illuminating means onto a region of a tooth surface of a patient; a sensing unit for sensing an image of the projected light reflected by the region, wherein the illuminating means comprises a semiconductor laser for producing the light; characterised in that : the projection means comprises phosphor which is remotely arranged to receive the light produced by the semiconductor laser , wherein the projection means is further adapted to condense the light of the semiconductor laser onto the phosphor , and to project the fluorescent light from the phosphor onto the region of the tooth surface of the patient and in that the projection means comprises a cooling plate having a reflective section , wherein the phosphor is arranged on the reflective section in thermal contact with the cooling plate . an optical unit comprising: an illuminating means for producing light, and a projecting means for projecting the light produced by the illuminating means onto a region of a tooth surface of a patient; a sensing unit for sensing an image of the projected light reflected by the region, wherein the illuminating means comprises a semiconductor laser for producing the light; characterised in that : the projection means comprises phosphor which is remotely arranged to receive the light produced by the semiconductor laser , wherein the projection means is further adapted to condense the light of the semiconductor laser onto the phosphor , and to project the fluorescent light from the phosphor onto the region of the tooth surface of the patient and in that the projection means comprises a cooling plate having a reflective section , wherein the phosphor is arranged on the reflective section in thermal contact with the cooling plate . the projection means comprises phosphor which is remotely arranged to receive the light produced by the semiconductor laser , wherein the projection means is further adapted to condense the light of the semiconductor laser onto the phosphor , and to project the fluorescent light from the phosphor onto the region of the tooth surface of the patient and in that the projection means comprises a cooling plate having a reflective section , wherein the phosphor is arranged on the reflective section in thermal contact with the cooling plate . <EOS>