Rounding Down Pointed Canines: Your Options
Most people who find this page want their canines to look less sharp, and there are four routes. Which one suits you depends on how much you want changed and whether the tooth is otherwise healthy.
Tooth contouring, the smallest intervention
Also called enameloplasty or recontouring. A fine polishing bur takes a fraction of a millimetre off the tip and rounds the edge.
No anaesthetic, no drilling into the tooth, and it is done in a single short appointment. You see the change immediately.
The limit is how much enamel there is to work with. Only a small amount can safely come off, so contouring softens a point rather than removing it. For a canine that is mildly sharper than its neighbours, that is usually all that is wanted. Our page on
tooth contouring covers what it can and cannot do.
Composite bonding, for a bigger change
Where contouring alone would take too much enamel, tooth-coloured composite is added to reshape the tooth instead. Counterintuitive but correct: to make a tooth look less pointed, you often build the neighbours up rather than grind the point down.
Done in one appointment, no laboratory involved, and it is reversible in the sense that no healthy tooth has been removed. It stains gradually over several years and can be polished or replaced. See
composite bonding.
Veneers, where the whole smile is being changed
If several teeth are uneven rather than one being pointed, veneers reshape the visible surfaces together.
Composite veneers are built up directly;
porcelain veneers are made in a laboratory, last longer, and resist staining better.
Porcelain usually requires a little enamel to be removed, which makes it a permanent commitment. Worth being clear-eyed about if the only thing bothering you is one sharp canine.
Orthodontics, where the canine sits too high
Sometimes the canine is not unusually pointed at all. It is sitting higher in the arch than its neighbours, which makes it read as a fang. Filing it down would leave a short tooth in the wrong position and solve nothing.
Moving it into line is the correct answer here, and it is worth having someone check which situation you are in before anything is removed. Enamel does not grow back.
What Fixing Pointy Teeth Costs
Indicative UK market ranges. Our own fees start from £295 and are confirmed after assessment.
- Tooth contouring: roughly £50 to £150 per tooth
- Composite bonding: roughly £150 to £350 per tooth
- Composite veneers: roughly £200 to £450 per tooth
- Porcelain veneers: roughly £600 to £1,200 per tooth
Two things move the figure. How many teeth are being treated, since a single canine is a very different job from balancing six front teeth. And whether the work is additive or subtractive, because building up takes longer than polishing down.
Most people who come in about one sharp canine leave having had contouring on two teeth, which is the cheapest thing on that list.
Cosmetic Fangs: Making Canines More Pointed
The opposite request, and a genuinely popular one. It is worth setting out honestly how it is done, because there is a great deal of misinformation about it.
What we do not do
We do not file healthy teeth into points. Enamel does not regenerate, and removing it to create a fang leaves a tooth that is permanently smaller, more sensitive, and more prone to decay and fracture. Anyone offering to sharpen your natural teeth is proposing irreversible damage for a look you may not want in five years.
Every legitimate route below works by
adding material rather than removing tooth.
Composite bonding fangs
The usual method. Composite resin is bonded to the tip of each canine and shaped into a point, then cured and polished.
One appointment, typically an hour or two. No anaesthetic needed since nothing is drilled. Most importantly, it is genuinely reversible. The composite can be polished off and the tooth underneath is exactly as it was.
It lasts a few years before it needs refreshing, and it stains a little faster than enamel, so coffee and red wine show sooner.
Porcelain fang veneers
Custom ceramic veneers made to a pointed shape and bonded over the canines. They look better, resist staining, and last longer than composite.
The catch is that porcelain usually requires a small amount of enamel preparation, which makes this the permanent version. That is a serious decision for a cosmetic look, and we would ordinarily suggest living with composite fangs for a year first.
What “permanent fangs” actually means
The phrase gets used loosely and it matters. Composite fangs are not permanent, which is their advantage. Porcelain fang veneers are effectively permanent because the underlying enamel has been prepared. Implants are not a route to fangs at all: an implant replaces a missing tooth, and no responsible practice extracts a healthy canine to place one.
If someone is offering permanent fangs cheaply and quickly, ask exactly which of those three they mean.
What Fangs Cost in the UK
Fangs are almost always done as a pair, on the two upper canines.
- Composite bonding fangs: roughly £150 to £350 per tooth, so £300 to £700 for a pair
- Porcelain fang veneers: roughly £600 to £1,200 per tooth
- Refreshing or replacing composite every few years, at similar cost to the original
Some people have the two canines done and find the effect too subtle because the neighbouring teeth now look flat by comparison. Discuss the whole smile at the consultation rather than the two teeth in isolation.
Is Any of This Bad for Your Teeth?
The honest answer differs by treatment, and it comes down to one question: is enamel being removed or added?
Adding composite is the safest option in both directions. Nothing is lost and it can be undone.
Light contouring removes a very small amount of enamel and is safe within limits, which is why the limits exist. Taking too much causes sensitivity and weakens the edge.
Porcelain veneers require preparation and commit you to keeping something on that tooth for life.
Filing teeth to points at home, with a nail file or anything similar, is the one genuinely dangerous option. It strips enamel unevenly, exposes dentine, and causes sensitivity that does not settle. If it has already been done, come and be looked at rather than leaving it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you fix pointy teeth?
Four ways: contouring to round the tip, composite bonding to reshape, veneers where several teeth are involved, or orthodontics where the canine is sitting too high rather than being genuinely pointed.
How much does it cost to fix sharp canine teeth?
Contouring runs roughly £50 to £150 per tooth and is the cheapest option. Composite bonding is roughly £150 to £350 per tooth. Our fees start from £295.
Why are my canine teeth so sharp?
Usually because they are meant to be. Canines are pointed by design, for gripping and tearing. They read as prominent when they sit slightly higher than the neighbouring teeth, or when the teeth either side have worn flat and the canine has not.
Can a dentist file my teeth into fangs?
No responsible dentist will file healthy enamel into points, because enamel does not grow back. Fangs are created by bonding material on, which is both safer and reversible.
How much do vampire fangs cost at the dentist?
Composite bonding fangs run roughly £150 to £350 per tooth in the UK, so £300 to £700 for a pair of upper canines. Porcelain fang veneers cost considerably more.
Are composite fangs permanent?
No, and that is the point of them. The composite can be polished off and the tooth underneath is unchanged. They typically last a few years before needing refreshing.
Can you get permanent fangs in the UK?
Porcelain fang veneers are effectively permanent, because a small amount of enamel is prepared to fit them. Composite is the reversible option, and most people are better off trying it first.
Do fangs damage your teeth?
Composite fangs do not, since nothing is removed. Porcelain veneers involve enamel preparation. Filing natural teeth to points causes permanent damage and should not be done.
How long does getting fangs take?
Composite fangs are done in a single appointment, usually one to two hours. Porcelain fang veneers take two visits with a laboratory stage between.
Can pointed teeth be reversed after bonding?
Composite can be removed and the tooth polished back. Porcelain cannot, because the enamel underneath has been prepared.
Book a Consultation in Elephant & Castle
Whichever direction you want to go, the useful first step is a look at the teeth themselves, because the right treatment depends on whether the canine is genuinely pointed or simply sitting high.
Call
020 7928 4474 or
book online. We are at 3 St George’s Court, Garden Row, London SE1 6HD, minutes from Elephant and Castle, Borough, Waterloo and London Bridge.
See our
cosmetic dentistry pages for everything we offer, and
dental finance if you want to spread the cost.
Market price ranges are indicative UK figures, not our fees. Our fees start from £295 and are confirmed in writing after assessment. This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Last reviewed August 2026.
