What type of x-ray is best in exposing tooth decay in all teeth?

[Freelilly]

I want to be able to detect any tooth decay (cavity) I might have in any of my teeth...so a test to check all my teeth.

Is panoramic x-ray the ideal x-ray for this?

Also, does the equipment used make a big difference? If I am to take the xray at a lab to then take the exposure/s to a dentist at another clinic, what should I make sure about in terms of the equipment used so that I know the xray would be the best I could get.
As an anology, if I were shopping for a powerful car (the car being the xray machine), I would ask about the horsepower and the number of cylinders to access whether the car would deliver the best performance.

Thanks in advice for any feedback!

 

[honestdoc]

I recommend Full Mouth X-rays to check for cavities. Unfortunately it may not reach far back enough to capture wisdom teeth 3rd molars. Pano x-ray will capture them but it won't detect small in-between cavities like individual FMX can. Pano can also detect bone disease, tumors, etc. A lot of dentists may not have Pano machine because they are expensive. All dental x-rays are digital and can manipulate contrasts to identify difficult lesions. If a dentist/specialist/surgeon will be placing implants, biopsies, and root canals, he/she will benefit from Cone Beam Computed Tomography to get 3-D imaging. It will detect anatomic sites that 2-D cannot capture like sinus and nerve anatomies when placing implants, cancer/tumors for oral surgeons, and difficult root anatomies for root canals. If you want a Ferrari x-ray capabilities, you will need all 3 x-rays. The costs will not justify obtaining them unless you are doing a lot of the 3-D dependent procedures (surgeries).