On the first day, the clot that forms in the socket is what heals it. Everything that follows is about not dislodging it.
No mouthwash and no rinsing on the first day. No smoking for forty-eight hours. Nothing hot that day: eat cool or lukewarm, soft if you can, and chew on the other side.
Light bleeding on the first evening is expected. Bite on a clean gauze pad for twenty minutes, without changing it every two minutes. A cold pack against the cheek, ten minutes at a time, helps during the first hours.
From the second day, brush again, going gently around the extraction. Pain that grows instead of easing after three days, bleeding that does not stop, a cheek that swells or a fever should be reported to the practice — or, when it is closed, to a hospital emergency department.
Four notes from the practice on everyday care. They do not replace a consultation: for your own case, the dentist answers after examining you.