Did anyone ever tell you that you smell bad? Funky breath or stinky underarms can happen to anyone, at any age. Whether or not you’ve noticed them, some body odors can signal a health problem. But most breath and body odors are normal.
“Bad breath is most often caused by bacteria on the teeth and tongue,” explains Dr. Madeleine S. Deming, an internal medicine expert at the NIH Clinical Center.
It’s normal if your breath smells a little in the morning, especially if you slept with your mouth open. A dry mouth allows bacteria to thrive. Bacteria that live in the mouth can make compounds that have sulfur. These compounds are especially stinky. They can smell like rotten eggs or onion, for example….