Vampire Fangs Explained: Origins, Styles, and Symbolism

Nova Nacht
Jul 31
10 min read

Please note: This blog does contain promotional content regarding the Project V x Kaos Kustom Fangs collaboration. The Conception of Vampire Fangs

The concept of fangs has been introduced in nearly every single vampire story, except for those sparkling vampires in the Twilight franchise. But where did our fang friends come from? Where did the tales of the vampire come to the surface with sharp fangs? If your first thought was Dracula, you would actually be wrong. Varney the Vampire predates Dracula and Carmilla any day! Varney the Vampire, or the Feast of Blood, was published in 1885, while Carmilla was published in 1872 and Dracula followed in 1897. It is theorized that Varney the Vampire inspired the creation of Carmilla and started the trend of the fanged blood suckers that we know today. The Varney Fang Depiction goes as such:

"...the principal feature next to those dreadful eyes is the teeth—the fearful looking teeth—projecting like those of some wild animal, hideously, glaringly white, and fang-like." [VARNEY, THE VAMPYRE; OR THE FEAST OF BLOOD A Romance Chapter 1] "With a plunge he seizes her neck in his fang-like teeth..." [VARNEY, THE VAMPYRE; OR THE FEAST OF BLOOD A Romance Chapter 1]

The Evolution of Vampire Fang Anatomy

The evolution of fangs and how they function per the anatomy of the vampire has drastically changed over the years. At one point the anatomy of fangs have confused many that people assumed vampires were using their fangs like one of those silly shaped colofrul straws you use to drink your chocolate milk as a kid. Through my research, I seem not to be able to find any such source that has depicted vampires drinking blood through their fangs like straws. The only thing I found was called a “Mirran Vampire” from a game called Magic: The Gathering. These vampires do not prefer their fangs; they prefer their fingernails. You read that right.

Mirran vampires have slightly fanged canines, but their fangs are not their primary means of ingesting blood. Rather than drawing blood through elongated canine teeth, they siphon blood through elongated finger adaptions. Their middle and index fingers are enhanced with long, syringe-like digits, and their digestive system has been replaced with blood-recirculation pipes. A system of blood conduits inside the vampire's body channels and distributes blood from the entry point of the syringe digits to the rest of the body. [GameLore wiki]

But fingernail-sucking vampires are not what we are here to discuss. The ways in which the fangs have been used in nearly every vampire media literature is that the vampire bites, creating a puncture wound on your neck or vital points of your body, and sucks the blood like a leech. Timeline of fang evolution over the centuries

1845: First "fang-like teeth" Varney the Vampyre

1872: Carmilla was implied to have fangs by the quoted text “She caressed me with her hands, and lay down beside me on the bed, and drew me towards her, smiling; I felt immediately delightfully soothed, and fell asleep again. I was wakened by a sensation as if two needles ran into my breast very deep at the same moment, and I cried loudly.”

1897: Dracula Fangs “peculiarly sharp white teeth that protruded over the lips”

1922: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. Nosferatu rat fangs were an unauthorized adaptation of Dracula hitting the cinema; his fangs sported on his two front teeth like a rat.

1931: Bela Lugosi’s Dracula did not have fangs despite the 1897 book's description.

1958 - 73: The Long Fanged Dracula era starring Christopher Lee that kicked off the popularity of fangs.

1976: Interview with the Vampire: Non-retractable teeth, not yet double-fanged.

1987: The Lost Boys: Animalistic Fangs and facial features. I believe this is when vampire media began to have more so transformations in the face, which you will see this inspiration taking place in many media in the 90s and early 2000s

90s: Popularity of Animalistic Fangs and Facial Features continues on in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

2005: Twilight becomes one of the first after the 70s to have No Fangs

2007: Supernatural, the show, comes out with an episode about Sam and Dean hunting vampires much like the 90s. But these vampires had retractable fangs that went over ALL their teeth.

To current: We have vampires with fangs of all shapes and sizes; we are in the midst of adaptations coming out, such as the 2024 Nosferatu, Abigail, vampire anime, and the new season of Interview with the Vampire. You won't know what you might get! “Real Vampire fang”

For those with more prominent fangs, I have noticed that some of these individuals will run with that characteristic and claim to be a vampyre, thus spreading misinformation. Some people within the community may even be envious of these individuals and their sharp chompers.

Genetics can significantly impact your teeth' positioning, size, and quality. It's not specifically that your teeth are extremely long; crowding can cause some teeth to be pushed up and outward, making some teeth, such as your canines, more prominent.

Human dental crowns are complex structures without simple genetic or environmental determination, but mathematical modelling of data from family studies is now providing a more complete picture of their ontogeny. Mesiodistal (MD) and buccolingual (BL) dental crown diameters were recorded from almost 600 monozygotic and dizygotic twins, and univariate biometrical models were fitted to the data for 28 permanent teeth (excluding third molars). All 56 variables showed significant contributions of additive genetic variation, varying from 56 to 92% of phenotypic variation, with most being over 80%. The effects of individual or unique environment ranged from 8 to 29%. A significant effect of the environment shared by twins — either uterine or early childhood — was found for MD and BL diameters of maxillary first molars (22–27%). There were also significant levels of non-additive genetic variation in MD diameters of canines and first premolars, which is consistent with selective pressures acting on these teeth at some stage in human evolution. [Dempsey & Townsend, 2001]

Sometimes, if you do go to the dentist, they may shave down your teeth without you mentioning it to them; they are helping your teeth to be cosmetically more attractive or, to my knowledge, help the overall function, such as preventing overbite. I have often heard many stories of this, and it has also happened to me. So, for whatever reason you want to fix your “natural vampire teeth,” there are ways in which they can be fixed, whether it's through veneers, reshaping, or gumline contouring. Purchasing Vampire Fangs

There are many different fang companies to order from. A popular budget-friendly option is Scarecrow Fangs; they average about 25$. You can often find them around Halloween time, or you can purchase them via Amazon or at the Scarecrow website.

The process to get your fangs is a lot easier, as it’s a cap that molds onto your teeth, which makes them reusable.

The kit is all-inclusive, you can fit your fangs on-the-spot wherever you have a mirror. Just mix the liquid & powder customizing material together, put it inside the fang cap, push it up over your own tooth & hold for 5 minutes. The material then forms a permanent, rigid, snap-fitting mold of your tooth inside the fang for a tight, "clip-on fit". This one-time fitting process means the fangs can be taken off and put back on for years of use. [Scarecrow Fangs website]

While this makes installing easier, it feels like it lacks the personal touch to make your smile yours, and overall feels like plastic in your mouth. This may not be fun for those who are texture sensitive. This is where Kaos Kustom Fangs bridges that gap. Not only is the plus of Kaos being a small business, but they are also actual people with a fun and witty personality who will work with you on getting your sharp smile. Kaos Kustom Fangs is a small fangsmith business that operates in New Mexico. They were established in 2012 by Stavros, the Kaos fangsmith. They do in-person “fanging” and take online fang purchases. Their fang prices vary depending on the type of fangs you are looking for. More simple fangs are priced around 110$ while more intricate designs can range 150$ and above. Now these prices may seem a bit scary, especially when I just brought up the scarecrow fangs being 25$. But you must understand you are not only purchasing a product but a service by a small business that specifically works with you and your various dental cosmetic needs. Some people may have misaligned teeth, dentures, etc. that can make purchasing random fangs online not exactly be suitable for their cosmetic needs, as it’s not exactly “Kustom”.

CROOKED, MISSING, AND/OR MISALIGNED TEETH. Can you still be fanged if your teeth are crooked? YES! If teeth are missing? YES! If you have one snaggle tooth or two, or even if you have an Over Bite or Under Bite, you can be Fanged! Why? How? You may ask...because our fangs go over your original teeth, or fill the holes, and I can make regular, normal, blunt human teeth to form a Bridge and/or Denture to connect to your fangs so your teeth are never even seen. True Story.

BRIDGES AND/OR DENTURES. Can your fangs be made into a Bridge or Denture Plate with Natural-Looking Teeth? YES! Do we make Denture Plates and Bridges with just Natural-Looking Teeth, No Fangs? YES! Whether you have gaps, crooked teeth, no teeth, missing teeth, or simply want a different smile, we can make it for you! Natural-Looking Teeth are $65 per tooth without Gum Acrylic and $75 with Gum Acrylic. Fang prices depend on the Fang Style you choose. Email us and let us know what you want - fangs, no fangs, # of Natural-Looking Teeth - and we'll make you a PayPal Invoice that you could choose to pay singularly or through installments. [Kaos Kustom Fangs FAQ]

Part of the Kustom Kare is that they not only offer fang fixing services. But they can work on a payment plan with you depending on the kind of work you are looking for. My Kaos Kustom Fangs Product and Service Review

While yes, we are in a partnership to which you can get 10% off your Kaos fangs purchase using our promo code: projectv Customer Service

I find that this is a very recommended fangsmith that the VC has positive experiences with. Which is why I wanted to actually purchase the product myself and try it out. I want to say Starvos’ personality is very much intertwined with his business. You can tell by not only the website but the way he talks you through the service. I found it to be a fun process because he talked to you in a personal way that corporate entities simply cannot do. Shipping and Crafting times

The shipping and fang creation process did take quite sometime so I would recommend being patient with them and let them do their magic. I would say their crafting seasons are something I am a tad bit confused on. To my knowledge they handle waves of orders per season. So that was a new experience for me; again they are a small business that has specific operation hours, unlike other fangs you can purchase are just made by a big machine in a factory somewhere. I love the way the product was packaged; it was so well wrapped, it was like everything was cocooned. Which is perfect, especially where I live. I live in the middle of the woods, and those roads get rough. Product (Please See Blog Thumbnail for picture of my fangs)

I found that the material was oddly realistic; it felt like Starvos ripped some poor vampire's teeth out and shipped them to me. I was extremely impressed by the material; it felt like genuine teeth, so it did not give me any texture issues. The color was very natural and matched my teeth. The fitting was very nice; it does not feel uncomfortable, and I can speak properly in them. Of course, I think the type of fangs you get may impact your speech and comfort level. The fangs were quite sharp as well, me likey. Though I do not condone biting people with them.

What Vampire Fangs has done for the Vampyre Community I would say back then, when lifestylers were seen as posers and not supported by the Vampyre community a lot of people found vampire fangs cringy and very much poser territory. As Obscurus mentioned in his blog about fangs, Father Sebastian heavily encouraged wearing fangs as a right of passage to being your true and authentic vampyric self. It sort of felt like it was a transformative ideology of taking the next step into being a vampyre. Father Sebastian still to this day does offer fangsmith services despite the allegations centered towards his licensing. Hence is sort of why a lot of the Vampyre community is seeking out other fangsmiths to get fanged. Besides making the Vampyre community look cool, what do fangs really do for the community? I would say it empowers vamps to be confident in who they are. To be able to represent themselves in a way they can easily write off as something other if need be. I do think wearing fangs can better connect you to not only your identity but the vampyric archetype.

Examining the archetype of the vampire goes a step beyond that of identity. The archetypal vampire is powerful, dangerous, and predatory but also sensual, thoughtful, and transformative in a variety of ways. The vampire is transhumanist; an immortal being with abilities surpassing humanity, yet born from humanity. The predatory drive can be a scalpel rather than a meat grinder, used to curate greatness and common good. Sensuality and deep thought taken to preternatural levels reinforces what it means to be human in the first place. The vampire is the human condition taken to the extreme and a lens through which we can view and process our own experiences. Adopting fangs is one way to connect with and access the power of the Vampire with a kind of sympathetic magick, like donning a mask or animal skin to connect with spiritual forces. [The (Un)Importance of Fangs in the Vampyre Community; Obscurus 2026]

I really like the way Obscurus worded this here, as it cannot only empower confidence in your identity but also better connect you with it, whether on a physical and/or spiritual level.

So if you want to wear fangs, do it! If you want to get permanent fangs, I would suggest trying out temporary fitted fangs first, such as the Kaos fangs; that way, you understand how permanent fangs will feel before you get them actually done.

I honestly think wearing fangs does not make you cheesy or any less a vampyre, much like the old ideologies on trivial matters debated within the VC. I also believe not every little thing involving the vampyric identity has to be so deep-rooted and ritualistic. You can just wear fangs just because they look cool. It does not have to be much deeper than that.