A hurricane dental kit is a waterproof bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, bottled water for brushing, your denture case and supplies, your medication list, a photo of your insurance cards and your dentist's phone number. If a boil-water notice follows the storm, brush only with bottled or boiled water. Hurricane season in Miami-Dade runs through November 30, so there is still time to put one together.
Before a storm, your mouth is rarely on the to-do list. But a broken tooth or a lost denture is much harder to deal with when half the city has no power.
Free printable guide
Hurricane dental kit: a checklist to tick off, how to brush with safe water, what to do if something breaks after the storm and a box for your key phone numbers (2 pages, PDF).
Miami-Dade County reminds residents that hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and asks them to have plans and supplies ready ahead of time (Miami-Dade, Hurricane Readiness). Your dental kit goes inside your main emergency kit. Keep it in a zip bag, next to your medications:
Ready.gov advises you to organize and protect your prescriptions and to keep copies of insurance policies and ID in a waterproof container or saved electronically. Miami-Dade's checklist includes hygiene items and photocopies of your ID, insurance and prescriptions.
Away from home, a denture wrapped in a napkin is easy to lose. With a case, you always know where it is.
After a storm, officials may issue a boil-water notice. The CDC is clear: while it lasts, brush your teeth with boiled or commercially bottled water, not tap water you have not boiled first. Miami-Dade County says the same for drinking, cooking, making ice, washing dishes and brushing teeth.
Without power, you may not be able to boil water. That makes your bottled water supply your brushing water too. The CDC recommends storing at least 1 gallon per person per day for at least 3 days, and a 2-week supply if possible; brushing teeth is one of the uses it lists. Miami-Dade asks for a 7-day supply.
The FDA says to throw out medications that touched floodwater or unsafe water, even in a closed container. The exception is a lifesaving medicine you cannot replace right away: if it looks unchanged, it may be used until you get a new supply. If a medicine that belongs in the fridge lost its cooling, ask your pharmacist or doctor. Do not stop or change any medication on your own.
Use your spare if you have one. If it broke, keep all the pieces in the case and do not try to glue it with household glue. MouthHealthy advises seeing your dentist if your denture gets damaged. If it was already loose before the storm, read loose dentures: what to do.
The emergency advice on MouthHealthy is to rinse your mouth with warm water (make it safe water) and hold a cold compress on your cheek to keep swelling down. Then call your dentist and, if you found the piece, bring it with you.
MedlinePlus advises you to:
MouthHealthy suggests rinsing with warm water, flossing gently to remove trapped food and never putting aspirin on your gums. For pain, take only what your doctor or pharmacist recommends, especially if you take other medications. Learn more in toothache: what to do today.
Call your dentist for an appointment if, after the storm:
When not to wait: if your face or jaw is swollen, or you have a fever, call a dentist the same day. MedlinePlus calls a swollen jaw a very serious symptom on its tooth abscess page. If you cannot bring your upper and lower teeth together after a blow, your jaw may be broken, and MedlinePlus says you need immediate care at a hospital or dental office. If you have trouble breathing or swallowing, call 911 or go to the emergency room. More in dental emergency in Kendall: what to do.
PureSmile Miami opens on November 2, 2026 at 8000 SW 117th Ave, Suite 100, in Kendall. At your first visit, the clinic's dentist checks your teeth and your denture and explains, with your X-rays in front of you, whether everything looks good or something needs repair, and why. If you are thinking about a spare denture, you can ask whether it makes sense for you. We see you in English or Spanish, check your insurance for free and give you a written treatment plan before we start. We are also open on Saturdays.
Join the waitlist or call us at (305) 787-3642.
No. The CDC says to brush with boiled or bottled water until the notice is lifted. Use that same water to rinse your mouth and your denture.
One minute at a full rolling boil, according to the CDC and Miami-Dade. Let it cool before you use it.
Miami-Dade recommends a 7-day water supply (1 gallon per person per day), non-perishable food, prescription medications, hygiene items, cash and copies of your documents and insurance. Add your dental kit: toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and denture supplies.
Use your spare if you have one and call your dentist once the storm passes. In the meantime, stick to soft foods cut into small pieces.
The FDA says to throw them out. If it is a lifesaving medicine you cannot replace, it may be used if it looks unchanged until you get more; check with your pharmacist.
Miami-Dade says showering is fine as long as you do not have open wounds. For your teeth, use boiled or bottled water.
General information; it does not replace an in-person evaluation. Sources: CDC; Ready.gov; Miami-Dade County (Office of Emergency Management and 311); FDA; ADA MouthHealthy; MedlinePlus; FPL. Yoan Suárez Zayas, DMD · FL Lic. DN 21413.
