<s>[INST] Hi, I had all 4 wisdom teeth extracted 7 days ago. My lower left is slightly swollen and there is a nasty sour taste coming from it. I called my oral surgeon and he said it was fine, just continue with salt water rinses. I am wondering if I can use a piece of gauze over it to get rid of the taste or will that be a bad idea? Thanks! [/INST] Hi, Thanks for posting your query.It's just the taste coming from the healing orifices where your wisdom teeth used to be. It's a natural part of the process, the taste will go away eventually. Definitely keep up with the salt water rinses and the antiseptic mouthwashes. Do Floss. Floss well in the backs of those molars next to where your wisdom teeth used to be. You'd be surprised at the amount of plaque that can build there, and bacteria from your healing mouth can gather there and hold that bad taste. Hope this will help you. Warm regards </s>