Ortho Said Clear Retainer is Still Ok if It's Cracked, Is this True?

Thank you for your great question. Clear (also called Essex) retainers  are great as long as they are being changed periodically. In my office we do not recommend these type of  retainers for longer then 6 months. We found that often enough plastic loses elasticity and does not hold teeth in place after that period of time, even in cases where retainer looks ok.If you do not want change retainers periodically consider Hawley's retainer as an alternative. It will last a lot longer.

Clear retainers are effective at keeping the teeth straight and patients seem to do a better job wearing them than traditional Hawley retainers. Clear retainers typically last about a year, so it's important to have a back up plan. Invisalign now offers the so called Vivera retainers, which gives you get a series of 4 clear retainers per arch. Expect to invest in keeping your teeth straight after the braces are removed. Orthodontic retention requires a lifetime committment, but retainers do not last a lifetime.

clear retainers just don't last as well as the traditional colored plastic and wire ones.  Even if they are not cracked they can stretch and fail to keep the teeth straight.  We tell our patients that they are only good for 12 months....after that they may or may not hold the teeth straight!