Passive Eruption of a Soft-Tissue-Impacted Maxillary Canine Following Diode Laser Exposure: A Case Report

Maxillary canine impactions are rather common and observed more frequently in female than male children. Typically, osseous obstruction is thought to be the cause of canine impaction, with soft tissue rarely considered a primary cause. This case report presents a 14-year-and-10-month-old female with a maxillary right canine impacted solely by soft tissue. Notably, the primary canine had exfoliated naturally and on time, yet the permanent successor failed to erupt. While timely exfoliation of the primary canine typically facilitates the proper eruption path of the permanent canine, this case underscores that even in the absence of hard-tissue obstruction, dense or fibrotic soft tissue alone may be sufficient to hinder eruption. Following diode laser exposure of the gingival tissue and passive space maintenance with a retainer, the canine passively erupted 3 mm over three months without the aid of brackets, chains, or orthodontic traction. This case challenges the traditional belief that soft tissue alone cannot cause impaction, and demonstrates that, in suitable cases, the diode laser intervention along with passive monitoring can be utilized as a minimally invasive alternative.