Best Dental Cements 2026 Brand Comparison Guide for Dentists

How to Evaluate the Best Dental Cements for Your Practice

The best dental cement for a crown or bridge depends less on the general category than on measurable behavior: film thickness, compressive strength, solubility, radiopacity, cleanup and moisture tolerance at the chair. Small differences in these parameters change marginal fit and long-term retention.

This guide compares the leading dental cements for permanent cementation in three classes: conventional glass ionomer, resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGI) and self-adhesive resin cement. Values come from manufacturer technical data and published studies, and a value that is not published is left out. Adhesive resin cements for veneers and lithium disilicate, and temporary cements, are covered in separate guides.

As a starting point, conventional glass ionomers suit metal and stainless steel crowns on retentive preparations and patients at high caries risk. RMGIs add strength and lower early solubility for PFM and zirconia crowns on conventional preparations. Self-adhesive resin cements add retention when the preparation is short or tapered.

Glass ionomer cements compared brand by brand

Conventional glass ionomer dental cements bond chemically to enamel and dentin, release fluoride and tolerate a moist field, at the cost of lower strength and higher early solubility than resin-based cements. Inside the family, dedicated Type I luting cements differ from the restorative glass ionomers used for core build-ups under the crown.

Shofu CX Plus Type One luting cement

CX-Plus is a Type I luting glass ionomer with a full set of published mechanical data: 149 MPa compressive strength, 15 microns film thickness, 1.55 mm Al radiopacity and 0.02 mm acid erosion, with 4 minutes 10 seconds of working time from the start of mixing. The low film thickness suits precise metal copings, and the moisture tolerance of a glass ionomer suits pediatric stainless steel and zirconia crowns where isolation is limited. Shofu supplies it as powder and liquid or in capsules. Best for: pediatric stainless steel and zirconia crowns, metal crowns on retentive preparations, fields where moisture control is limited.

GC Fuji I: Self-Cure Glass Ionomer Luting Cement

Fuji I is a self-cure glass ionomer luting cement for crowns, bridges, metal inlays and onlays, posts and orthodontic bands. It bonds chemically to tooth structure and metal without a primer, works in a wet field and has a solubility of 0.06% after setting, with sustained fluoride release. It is supplied as hand-mix powder and liquid or in pre-measured capsules. Best for: metal and PFM crowns on retentive preparations, orthodontic bands, practices that want a conventional glass ionomer with capsule dosing.

3M Ketac Cem Radiopaque: Glass Ionomer Luting Cement

Ketac Cem Radiopaque bonds chemically to enamel and dentin, releases fluoride and has a low film thickness for complete seating. 3M indicates it for crowns, bridges, inlays, posts, screws and orthodontic bands, and supplies it as powder and liquid or in Aplicap and Maxicap capsules for consistent mixing. Best for: crowns and bridges on retentive preparations, orthodontic bands, practices that prefer capsule mixing.

GC Fuji IX GP

Fuji IX GP is a packable restorative glass ionomer, not a luting cement. In a crown workflow it is used for core build-ups, where its chemical bond to dentin and rechargeable fluoride release protect the area under the margin in patients at high caries risk. GC indicates a 2-minute working time and self-cure in 2.5 minutes, about 4.5 minutes from the start of mixing, with FAST and EXTRA versions that set faster. Best for: core build-ups under crowns in patients at high caries risk, interim restorations, pediatric and geriatric cases.

Resin modified glass ionomer cements compared brand by brand

RMGIs add a resin phase to the glass ionomer chemistry. They keep fluoride release and chemical adhesion, with higher strength and lower early solubility, and current products add automix delivery and a short light-cure for cleanup. They are the most common choice among dental cements for PFM and zirconia crowns on preparations with adequate retention form.

RelyX Luting Plus

RelyX Luting Plus Automix is a paste-paste RMGI. 3M's technical data report 19 microns film thickness, 135 MPa compressive strength, 1.41 mm Al radiopacity and a cumulative fluoride release of about 4,000 micrograms per gram at 30 days. It needs no separate conditioning step, and a 5-second tack cure allows immediate cleanup. Indications cover PFM and metal crowns and bridges, alumina and zirconia core crowns, posts, orthodontic bands and implant-supported restorations. On zirconia crowns with short or tapered preparations, a self-adhesive resin cement gives more retention. Best for: PFM and metal crowns and bridges, zirconia crowns on retentive preparations, practices that want automix delivery with fluoride release.

GC FujiCEM Evolve: The Successor to GC FujiCEM 2

FujiCEM Evolve replaces FujiCEM 2 in GC America's range. It is a radiopaque resin-reinforced glass ionomer in a 9.2 g automix syringe, also available in hand-mix paste packs, with rechargeable fluoride release, moisture tolerance and a tack-cure step that reduces cleanup to seconds. GC indicates it for zirconia, PFM, lithium disilicate and high-strength ceramic restorations. Best for: practices moving from FujiCEM 2, zirconia and PFM crowns, margins where isolation is difficult.

Kerr Nexus RMGI: Resin-Modified Glass Ionomer with One-Piece Cleanup

Nexus RMGI combines 4-META and MPAAC adhesive chemistry in an automix syringe. After a 2 to 3 second tack cure its One-Peel formula lets excess cement come away in one piece, and Kerr's ion-release technology delivers sustained fluoride together with calcium and zinc ions. It is indicated for zirconia, lithium disilicate, PFM and metal restorations, with an ultra-low film thickness for complete seating. Best for: zirconia and PFM crowns, practices that prioritize fast cleanup, patients at high caries risk.

Self-adhesive resin cements compared brand by brand

Self-adhesive resin cements bond to tooth structure without a separate etch, primer or bond, and most now include MDP for zirconia and metal. Among dental cements, they have the lowest solubility of the three classes and add retention when the preparation is short or tapered. In an in vitro study with 6 months of thermocycling, zirconia crowns cemented with a self-adhesive resin cement needed 3.1 MPa to dislodge, against 1.3 MPa for an automixed RMGI.

Kuraray Panavia SA Cement Universal: Self-Adhesive Resin Cement with MDP and Silane

Panavia SA Cement Universal combines MDP for tooth structure, zirconia and metal with LCSi, a long-chain silane monomer for glass ceramics. It bonds to zirconia, lithium disilicate, porcelain, composite and metals without a separate primer. It is dual-cure with a 2 to 5 second tack cure for cleanup, has a film thickness of about 16 microns, and comes in Universal (A2), White and Translucent shades in automix and hand-mix formats. Best for: one cement for zirconia and glass ceramic crowns, short preparations, bridges and inlays without primers.

GC G-CEM ONE: Self-Adhesive Resin Cement with Touch Cure

G-CEM ONE contains MDP and bonds to enamel, dentin and indirect materials including zirconia and metal alloys without a separate primer. Its Touch Cure technology accelerates the chemical set where light cannot reach, and the optional Adhesive Enhancing Primer raises bond strength on non-retentive preparations. It is indicated for crowns, bridges, inlays, onlays, posts and veneers, in A2, Translucent, AO3 and White Opaque shades. Best for: short or non-retentive preparations with the optional primer, thick or opaque restorations that limit light, zirconia and metal crowns.

3M RelyX Unicem 2 Automix: Self-Adhesive Resin Cement

RelyX Unicem 2 is a dual-cure self-adhesive resin cement that removes the separate etch, prime and bond steps. It is one of the most studied cements in its class: in the aging study cited above, it retained zirconia crowns as strongly as a powder-liquid RMGI control and more than twice as strongly as the automixed RMGI. It is supplied in automix syringes in Translucent, A2 and A3 Opaque shades. Best for: zirconia and metal crowns on short preparations, practices that want a self-adhesive cement with a long clinical track record.

How to evaluate the best dental cement beyond theoretical categories

For an experienced dentist, the meaningful differences between dental cements come from quantifiable and clinically perceptible variables. These are the parameters that influence long-term outcomes in fixed prosthodontics and everyday crown and bridge work.

Compressive strength and long term stability

Compressive strength determines how well a dental cement resists occlusal load and marginal degradation over time. Among luting glass ionomers, Shofu CX-Plus reports 149 MPa, a high value for a Type I luting cement. RMGIs add resin reinforcement and flexural strength: RelyX Luting Plus Automix reports 135 MPa in compression and 34 MPa in flexure. Restorative glass ionomers such as Fuji IX GP are stronger than luting glass ionomers, which is why they are used for core build-ups rather than for cementation.

Film thickness and seating accuracy

The film thickness of a dental cement affects marginal fit and seating. ISO 9917-1 sets a maximum of 25 microns for water-based luting cements, and values near 15 microns seat more easily under precise zirconia and metal copings with narrow cement spaces. CX-Plus lists 15 microns, Panavia SA Cement Universal about 16 microns and RelyX Luting Plus Automix 19 microns, all within the limit.

Solubility and acid erosion

The solubility of a dental cement has a direct impact on marginal integrity. CX-Plus reports 0.02 mm acid erosion and GC Fuji I 0.06% solubility after setting, both low for conventional glass ionomers. RMGIs reduce early moisture sensitivity through the resin phase, and self-adhesive resin cements have the lowest solubility of the three classes. For practices that standardize, pairing one glass ionomer such as CX-Plus with one RMGI such as RelyX Luting Plus or FujiCEM Evolve covers most cases without switching between many brands.

Fluoride release and radiopacity

Fluoride release is the main advantage of glass ionomer and RMGI dental cements in patients at high caries risk or with limited hygiene. RelyX Luting Plus Automix reports a cumulative release of about 4,000 micrograms of fluoride per gram at 30 days, and FujiCEM Evolve and Nexus RMGI both release fluoride over time. Radiopacity allows excess cement and margins to be checked on radiographs: CX-Plus reports 1.55 mm Al and RelyX Luting Plus 1.41 mm Al.

Temporary cements in the clinical workflow

Temporary cements are not the focus of this guide, but the choice affects how the definitive dental cement performs. They provide controlled retention and easy removal during the provisional phase, and they are formulated to be weaker than a definitive luting agent. Zinc oxide eugenol cements such as the classic TempBond remain standard for provisional crowns when the definitive cement is a glass ionomer or RMGI. When an adhesive or self-adhesive resin cement is planned, a non-eugenol temporary cement avoids residual eugenol interfering with resin polymerization.

Indication based recommendations

Once the properties are clear, the most useful way to choose among dental cements is by indication.

Metal and porcelain fused to metal crowns

Mechanical demands on the dental cement are moderate and marginal stability is critical. Shofu CX-Plus, GC Fuji I or 3M Ketac Cem Radiopaque cover retentive preparations when moisture tolerance and fluoride release are priorities. RelyX Luting Plus, FujiCEM Evolve or Nexus RMGI add strength and lower solubility, especially for bridge abutments.

Zirconia crowns

On conventional preparations with adequate retention, RMGI and self-adhesive resin cements reach comparable clinical results: in a retrospective study of 288 full-coverage zirconia restorations, RMGI was non-inferior to self-adhesive resin cement for loss of retention. When the preparation is short, tapered or lacks retention form, a self-adhesive resin cement such as Panavia SA Cement Universal or G-CEM ONE, or a fully adhesive resin cement, is the safer choice.

High caries risk and compromised enamel

Patients with recurrent caries or demineralized enamel benefit from fluoride-releasing dental cements at the crown margin. GC Fuji IX GP builds a fluoride-releasing core, and CX-Plus or an RMGI such as Nexus RMGI keeps fluoride release at the luting interface.

Provisional phases

For provisional crowns and bridges, zinc oxide eugenol or non-eugenol formulations such as the TempBond range remain rational choices. Use eugenol-based temporary cements when a resin definitive cement is not planned, and non-eugenol or resin-based temporary cements when an adhesive or self-adhesive resin cement will be used.

Final evaluation and best practice summary

The best dental cement is the one matched to the indication, and most practices cover fixed prosthodontics with three products:

A glass ionomer luting cement such as Shofu CX-Plus for metal crowns and pediatric stainless steel and zirconia crowns.
An RMGI such as RelyX Luting Plus or FujiCEM Evolve for PFM and zirconia crowns on retentive preparations.
A self-adhesive resin cement such as Panavia SA Cement Universal or G-CEM ONE for short preparations and cases that need maximum retention.

A temporary cement chosen for compatibility with the planned definitive cement completes the portfolio.

Dental Cements and Alara: Get the Best Deals from Trusted Suppliers

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References

Lepe X, Streiff KR, Johnson GH. Long-term retention of zirconia crowns cemented with current automixed cements. J Prosthet Dent. 2021;125(5):788-794. PMID: 32669207. DOI: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2020.04.014
Pyo SW, Park K, Daher R, Kwon HB, Han JS, Lee JH. Comparison of the clinical outcomes of resin-modified glass ionomer and self-adhesive resin cementations for full-coverage zirconia restorations. J Dent. 2023;135:104558. PMID: 37230241. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdent.2023.104558