conditioning agents extending agents weighting agents set retarders hollow glass or ceramic beads elastomers fibers and the like in certain exemplary embodiments cement compositions used according to the invention may be prepared by dry blending the degradable materials with the cement before the addition of water or by mixing the degradable materials with water before it is added to the cement or by mixing the degrading material with the cement slurry consecutively with or after the addition of water in certain preferred embodiments the degrading materials are dry blended with the cement before the addition of water in other exemplary embodiments the degrading materials may be pre suspended in water and injected into the cement composition or into the cement composition as an aqueous slurry if desired an example of a method of the present invention comprises providing a cement composition that comprises a hydraulic cement and a degrading material placing the cement composition in a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation allowing the cement composition to set forming a temporary matrix therein performing a treatment operation on the formation and allowing the degrading material to degrade the set cement matrix in certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention the subterranean formation may comprise a multilateral well in certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention the subterranean formation may comprise a well that comprises an expandable tubular another example of a method of the present invention is a method of enhancing the mechanical properties of a cement composition comprising adding a degrading material to the cement composition and allowing the degradable material to degrade the cement in certain situations where the subterranean formation is has a high water content and slowing or.