In a 2005 laboratory study on extracted molars, dentine that was sealed with a bonding agent straight after it was cut bonded to the restorative material about five times as strongly as dentine sealed later, at a simulated fitting visit (58.25 MPa against 11.58 MPa). Results in patients have been far less dramatic. Randomised trials have found little or no difference in sensitivity beyond the first month, and the one randomised trial that compared survival found no difference after three years.
This step is called immediate dentine sealing, usually shortened to IDS. It is used with bonded restorations such as onlays, ceramic crowns and porcelain veneers. This article explains what it involves, why it was proposed, and what laboratory and clinical studies have found.
Two moments when dentine can be sealed
Indirect restorations, such as onlays, crowns and veneers, are made outside the mouth and fitted at a later visit. Shaping the tooth can expose dentine, the layer under the enamel. With immediate sealing, the dentist applies an adhesive to the freshly cut dentine and sets it before the scan or impression is taken. With delayed dentine sealing, the bonding is done at the fitting appointment, after the temporary stage. A 2022 systematic review describes the two approaches in these terms (Hardan and colleagues, Gels, 2022).
In a 2005 review, Magne argued that sealing the dentine straight away could improve bond strength and reduce gaps, bacterial leakage and sensitivity (Magne, Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, 2005). Those were proposed benefits. The studies below test them.
Laboratory studies mostly favour it for bond strength
The 2005 bond strength study used 15 extracted molars and tested the specimens after 24 hours in water. Bond strength with immediate sealing was similar to bonding the material directly, and much higher than with delayed sealing (Magne and colleagues, Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2005).
The 2022 review pooled 21 laboratory studies on human dentine. Immediate sealing improved bond strength overall, both soon after bonding and after ageing. When the results were split by adhesive type, the advantage after ageing was seen only with a three-step etch-and-rinse adhesive or with an adhesive plus a layer of flowable resin (Hardan and colleagues, 2022).
Not every laboratory measure agrees. A 2026 review of 11 laboratory studies found no significant difference between immediate and delayed sealing in leakage at the margins or in the size of the marginal gap (Moghaddas and colleagues, International Dental Journal, 2026).
Trials in patients show a smaller effect
Bond strength measured on a testing machine is not the same as comfort or how long a restoration lasts. Fewer studies have looked at those outcomes in people, and the ones that have are small.
| Study | Who and what | What it found |
|---|---|---|
| Hu and Zhu, International Journal of Prosthodontics, 2010 | 25 men with three-unit bridges on living teeth; one supporting tooth sealed, the other not (randomised, double blind) | Sealed teeth were less sensitive at 1 week and 1 month after cementation; no difference at 6, 12 and 24 months |
| van den Breemer and colleagues, Operative Dentistry, 2019 | 30 patients, 60 lithium disilicate partial restorations on living molars | No difference in reported sensitivity or patient satisfaction up to 1 year |
| van den Breemer and colleagues, Journal of Dentistry, 2019 | The same trial at 3 years | Survival 98.3% and success 85% overall, with no difference between immediate and delayed sealing |
| Josic and colleagues, Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, 2022 | Systematic review; four trials included | No significant difference in sensitivity after treatment; certainty of evidence low to very low |
| Portella and colleagues, Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, 2024 | Review of four randomised trials | Pooled full crown data showed less sensitivity 1 week after cementation; any advantage seemed limited to the temporary stage and the first week |
A 2025 systematic review of 11 clinical studies reached a more positive conclusion, reporting fewer complications, less sensitivity and higher success and survival rates with immediate sealing than without it, while also calling for more long term randomised trials to confirm these conclusions (Alghauli and colleagues, Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2025). A 2024 narrative review that examined several popular adhesive protocols concluded that immediate sealing and resin coating give similar sensitivity and longevity to delayed sealing (Reis and colleagues, Journal of Applied Oral Science, 2024).
Taken together, the evidence suggests immediate sealing may make the tooth more comfortable during the temporary phase and the first week or so after fitting. Whether it makes onlays or crowns last longer is less clear: the one randomised trial that compared the two approaches directly found no difference in survival at three years.
When it is more likely to be worth doing
Portella and colleagues described immediate sealing as an elective step rather than a compulsory one, to be considered for patients and preparations with a higher risk of sensitivity between appointments. In their review, the short-term reduction in sensitivity came from pooled data on full crown preparations, and the trial in the table that showed a benefit (Hu and Zhu) involved full coverage preparations on living teeth supporting bridges.
Whether it suits a particular tooth is a clinical judgement, made alongside the choice of restoration. Our articles on what a dental onlay is and on table-top onlays for worn back teeth explain where those restorations fit, and the endocrown article covers bonded restorations on root-filled teeth.
Sensitivity after a crown or onlay has several causes
Sealing the dentine is only one factor in how a tooth feels after treatment. In the 2019 molar trial, patient-reported sensitivity at each check up to one year did not differ significantly from sensitivity before treatment. If a tooth stays sensitive for more than a short while after a new crown, it is worth having it checked. Our guides to sensitivity after a crown and to a temporary crown that comes off cover what to do in the meantime.
For dentists: protecting the sealed layer between visits
Two practical points come from laboratory work, and both have limits worth stating.
First, the oxygen-inhibited layer on a freshly cured adhesive can interfere with conventional impressions. Magne and colleagues (Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2009) found that impressions taken straight over the sealed surface were faulty in every case with both a polyether and a vinyl polysiloxane material. Air blocking and then pumicing the surface gave ideal vinyl polysiloxane impressions, but more than half of the polyether impressions still stuck to the surface. Ghiggi and colleagues (European Journal of Dentistry, 2014) found that glycerine gel or alcohol prevented the interaction for some adhesive and impression combinations but not all of them. These were small studies on extracted teeth.
Second, temporary cement left on the sealed surface matters. In a 2026 study on extracted third molars, contamination with a eugenol-free temporary cement reduced bond strength, and none of the cleaning methods tested (hand scaler, alumina air abrasion or a cleaning agent) restored it to the level of uncontaminated sealed dentine (Aydin and colleagues, Journal of Functional Biomaterials, 2026). Another 2026 laboratory study found higher bond strength after waterborne alumina abrasion than after conventional air abrasion when removing temporary materials (Kocaağa and colleagues, Operative Dentistry, 2026). These are bond strength tests on extracted teeth, not clinical outcomes, so the practical message is modest: keep temporary cement off the sealed layer where possible, and clean it thoroughly before bonding.
Common questions
Will immediate sealing stop my tooth being sensitive?
It may reduce sensitivity in the first week or so, according to some trials, but other trials found no difference. It does not guarantee a tooth will feel normal straight away.
Does it make a crown or onlay last longer?
A randomised trial on lithium disilicate partial restorations on molars found no difference in survival or success at 3 years (van den Breemer and colleagues, 2019).
Is it used for veneers too?
Magne's 2005 review describes it for indirect composite and porcelain restorations, including inlays, onlays and veneers, where preparation exposes dentine. Where a veneer preparation stays within enamel, there is no exposed dentine to seal. Our article on how much tooth is removed for veneers explains the difference.
Sources
- Magne P and colleagues. Immediate dentin sealing improves bond strength of indirect restorations. Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2005. PubMed 16316797
- Magne P. Immediate dentin sealing: a fundamental procedure for indirect bonded restorations. Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, 2005. PubMed 15996383
- Hardan L and colleagues. Immediate dentin sealing for adhesive cementation of indirect restorations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Gels, 2022. PubMed 35323288
- Moghaddas MJ and colleagues. The effect of immediate dentin sealing on the marginal adaptation and microleakage of indirect restorations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Dental Journal, 2026. PubMed 41237595
- Hu J and Zhu Q. Effect of immediate dentin sealing on preventive treatment for postcementation hypersensitivity. International Journal of Prosthodontics, 2010. PubMed 20234892
- van den Breemer C and colleagues. Prospective randomized clinical trial on the survival of lithium disilicate posterior partial crowns bonded using immediate or delayed dentin sealing: short-term results on tooth sensitivity and patient satisfaction. Operative Dentistry, 2019. PubMed 31461393
- van den Breemer CRG and colleagues. Randomized clinical trial on the survival of lithium disilicate posterior partial restorations bonded using immediate or delayed dentin sealing after 3 years of function. Journal of Dentistry, 2019. PubMed 30978438
- Josic U and colleagues. Does immediate dentin sealing influence postoperative sensitivity in teeth restored with indirect restorations? Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, 2022. PubMed 34859939
- Portella FF and colleagues. Is immediate dentin sealing a mandatory or optional clinical step for indirect restorations? Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry, 2024. PubMed 38323714
- Alghauli MA and colleagues. Clinical benefits of immediate dentin sealing: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2025. PubMed 38570282
- Reis A and colleagues. Biomimetic restorative dentistry: an evidence-based discussion of common myths. Journal of Applied Oral Science, 2024. PubMed 39476015
- Magne P and colleagues. Interactions between impression materials and immediate dentin sealing. Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 2009. PubMed 19853171
- Ghiggi PC and colleagues. Does immediate dentin sealing influence the polymerization of impression materials? European Journal of Dentistry, 2014. PubMed 25202218
- Aydin Z and colleagues. Effects of provisional cement cleaning methods on resin-dentin bond strength following immediate dentin sealing with different adhesive systems. Journal of Functional Biomaterials, 2026. PubMed 41745560
- Kocaağa S and colleagues. Effect of immediate dentin sealing and surface cleansing on ceramic-to-dentin bond strengths. Operative Dentistry, 2026. PubMed 41651139
If you have been told a tooth needs a crown and want to talk through the options, you can book an appointment at our Melrose Park practice or read more about crowns and bridges at Lumi.
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for an in-person assessment by a dental professional.
