Orthodontic Retention in Fredericksburg and Stafford, Virginia
After months of carefully taking care of your teeth, the day you’ve been waiting for is finally here — your braces are coming off! While it’s important to celebrate this milestone, your treatment isn’t quite over yet. Wearing a dental retainer ensures your new smile stays in perfect alignment after taking your braces off or ending your Invisalign treatment.
At Rappahannock Orthodontics, we offer three custom retainer options for patients to maintain their beautiful smiles for years to come.

What Are Dental Retainers For?
Dental retainers are removable or fixed dental appliances to ensure your teeth don’t shift back into misalignment after a patient completes a braces treatment. Before you start orthodontic retention, we’ll create a scan or mold of your teeth to make a retainer custom fit for your mouth.
The amount of time you’ll wear a mouth retainer varies depending on your treatment and age. After receiving your retainer, it’s essential to wear it as directed by Dr. Caspersen to ensure your teeth remain in the correct position.
Types of Teeth Retainers
Rappahannock Orthodontics is proud to offer a variety of orthodontic retention devices for our patients. Our teeth retainer options include:

Hawley retainer
A Hawley retainer is a metal wire on an acrylic arch that we may adjust periodically to ensure your teeth remain in the desired position. When a Hawley retainer is in place, the acrylic arch fits on the lingual walls or palate for a comfortable fit.

Essix
Before you receive your Essix retainer, Dr. Caspersen will make a mold of your teeth in their new alignment and then create clear retainer trays. Since Essix retainers are transparent, they won’t affect the appearance of your smile, allowing you to align your teeth discreetly.

Fixed Retainers
Unlike a Hawley or Essix retainer, Dr. Caspersen will attach the single wire of a fixed retainer to the tongue side of a few teeth to continually work to keep the teeth in proper alignment. Fixed retainers are ideal for younger patients or those who are likely to lose or forget their removable retainers.
“I love Dr. Caspersen and his staff. They are all friendly and efficient. I never have to wait past my appointment time, and I’m in and out of there in no time. My son was a patient there a few years ago, and our experience was the same then, too. (I’m doing Invisalign and he had “regular” braces.)”
“My 11 year old needed braces bad and this is the first of many phases to come. Dr. Caspersen was very friendly and helpful and explained the entire process. The staff there as well was very helpful.”
How to Care For Your Retainer

Whether you have a removable or fixed mouth retainer, it’s essential to properly care for your device to avoid the buildup of bacteria or food debris. If you have a removable retainer, thoroughly scrub the retainer with a toothbrush and water or a specialized retainer cleaner. For fixed retainers, be sure to angle your toothbrush when brushing your teeth to clean the device.
Why Rappahannock Orthodontics?

At Rappahannock Orthodontics, we love helping patients create beautiful smiles that last a lifetime. We treat our patients like family and create customized care solutions to fit their treatment goals and preferences. With a calm and relaxing office environment, you will feel at ease from the second you enter to when you leave.
Let Dr. Caspersen and his team help you on your journey towards a beautiful smile today!
Explore Our Retainer Options Today
Keep your smile beautiful after removing your braces with a custom retainer from Rappahannock Orthodontics. Call us at 540-701-4706 to schedule an appointment at our offices in Fredericksburg or Stafford, Virginia, today!

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Fredericksburg Location
Rappahannock Orthodontics
408 Chatham Square Office Park
Fredericksburg, VA 22405
Stafford Location
Rappahannock Orthodontics
35 Walpole St #203
Stafford, VA 22554
Contact Us
540-371-2611
540-372-3788
business@drcaspersen.com
Business Hours
Monday - Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Closed for lunch daily
from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Hours alternate every other week with our other office. This schedule is subject to change. Please call with any questions.