Can I write off my $9k dental implant expense when I make roughly $23k/yr for tax deduction?

Yes, you can potentially deduct your dental implant expense, but there are some important things to understand about medical expense deductions. Medical and dental expenses are deductible only if they exceed 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). In your case, 7.5% of $23,000 would be $1,725. Since your $9,000 dental implant cost far exceeds that threshold, you would be able to deduct the amount OVER the threshold - so approximately $7,275 ($9,000 - $1,725). Here's the catch though - you can only claim this deduction if you itemize deductions on Schedule A rather than taking the standard deduction. For 2025 filing, the standard deduction for a single filer is projected to be around $14,000. Unless your total itemized deductions (including medical, state taxes, mortgage interest, charitable contributions, etc.) exceed that amount, you'd still be better off taking the standard deduction. This is probably why you're getting mixed answers - technically the expense is deductible, but practically speaking, many people don't benefit from it because the standard deduction is more advantageous.

After dealing with a similar situation (wisdom teeth removal that cost $4k), I found this amazing AI-powered tax assistant at https://taxr.ai that helped me figure out exactly how to handle medical expenses on my return. You upload your documents and it analyzes everything to find all possible deductions and credits. In my case, it explained exactly how the medical expense deduction threshold works and calculated whether itemizing would benefit me. The step-by-step guidance was way clearer than what I got from random internet advice. It also helped me understand some FSA options through my job that could help with future medical expenses.

Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and it was seriously helpful! I uploaded my medical bills and dental statements, and within minutes it explained exactly how much of my expenses would be deductible based on my income. For my specific situation as a freelancer, it showed me that I could deduct my health insurance premiums directly (not as an itemized deduction), which lowered my AGI enough that more of my dental expenses became deductible when itemizing. I had no idea these worked together like that! The documentation guidelines it provided for dental work were super detailed too. Definitely recommend checking it out if you have substantial medical or dental expenses.

Hey, sorry about your dental expense - that's rough. After struggling to get through to the IRS about medical deductions last year (waited on hold for HOURS), I found this service called Claimyr at https://claimyr.com that actually got me connected to a real IRS agent in under 20 minutes. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with explained exactly how the medical expense deduction works with my specific income situation and confirmed what documentation I needed to keep. Super helpful for my situation with major medical bills and was worth it just to get a definitive answer straight from the IRS instead of conflicting online advice.

I need to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I was so desperate to get an answer about a medical expense deduction for my spouse's surgery that I decided to try it anyway. Within 15 minutes I was talking to an actual IRS representative who clarified exactly how to document and claim our medical expenses. They explained which forms we needed and confirmed that our situation would benefit from itemizing despite the higher standard deduction. Instead of spending my entire day on hold or guessing about tax rules, I got definitive answers in minutes. For anyone dealing with major medical or dental expenses, getting clear guidance directly from the IRS is incredibly valuable.

Don't forget to look into whether your state has different rules for medical/dental deductions! Federal and state taxes often have different thresholds and rules. In my state, medical expenses are deductible starting at 5% of AGI instead of the federal 7.5%. This meant that even when taking the standard deduction on my federal return was better, I still benefited from itemizing on my state return for dental work.

Has anyone actually successfully deducted dental implants specifically? My dentist said they might be considered "cosmetic" and not medically necessary even though I literally couldn't eat properly without them.