Peter Steele's Fangs & Teeth:
Real or Fake? The Full Story

The Man Behind the Myth: Peter Steele's Early Life and Rise

Type O Negative's breakthrough came with their 1991 debut Slow, Deep and Hard, but it was 1993's Bloody Kisses—featuring hits like "Black No. 1" and "Christian Woman"—that catapulted them to fame. Steele's stage persona, complete with pale makeup, leather, and those fangs, perfectly matched the band's themes of love, death, addiction, and vampiric romance. Fans adored his self-deprecating wit; he once posed nude for Playgirl magazine in August 1995 under the tagline "Type O Negative's naked Peter Steele gets rock hard for you," showcasing his warped black humor.

Steele's fangs became inseparable from his image, appearing in music videos, album art, and live shows. Media outlets like The Independent described him as sporting "teeth filed to look like fangs," perpetuating the misconception that they were sharpened natural teeth. In reality, as detailed in a detailed personal account from family friend Pat, Steele's teeth were pristine—cavity-free into his 20s—and underwent no filing, extraction, or capping.

The Dentist Visit That Changed Everything: The Creation of the Fangs

The full story of Steele's fangs emerges from Pat's firsthand recollection, shared on a dedicated Peter Steele tribute blog. In the early 1990s, Steele visited Dr. Wasserman, a family dentist, complaining of a "tooth problem." Pat initially assumed it was a routine cavity, given Steele's impeccable dental history. About a month later, Dr. Wasserman called Pat, perplexed and fearful—not about decay, but about Steele's outrageous request: to implant fangs.

Steele had shopped around multiple dentists, all refusing his demand. Dr. Wasserman, after much convincing, agreed but only built the fangs non-invasively. Using porcelain, he layered the material slowly onto Steele's two upper canine teeth, creating extended, pointed tips without altering the underlying structure. "Peter had cavity-free teeth, so the dentist wouldn't extract, file down or cap, but built the 2 fangs with porcelain, slowly, layer by layer," Pat explained.

For years, Dr. Wasserman referred to Steele and his family as "the vampires," shaking his head in disbelief. "In his mature mind, he couldn't understand why anyone would want fangs," Pat noted. This account debunks rumors of filed or implanted screws; the fangs were durable cosmetic builds, designed to withstand Steele's rock lifestyle.

Steele himself alluded to their artificial nature indirectly. In a 2005 interview after his prison stint for drug possession and assault, he quipped about jail life: "To be white in jail and to have long black hair and fangs is not an advantage. I was in maximum security... Fortunately, I'm six-foot eight, so I'm not exactly a target". He never claimed they were real, leaning into the theatricality instead.

Real or Fake? Debunking the Myths with Evidence

Myth 1: Born with Fangs or Natural Vampire Teeth

Steele was not born with fangs; his modification occurred in adulthood, post-Carnivore era, aligning with Type O Negative's gothic aesthetic.

Myth 2: Filed or Sharpened Teeth

Prominent obituaries claimed "teeth filed to look like fangs," but Pat's account clarifies no filing occurred—porcelain was added to healthy teeth. Metal blogs like MetalSucks mocked them as part of "the raddest sets of teeth in metal," but offered no specifics.

Myth 3: Implants or Extractions

No teeth were removed or screwed in; Dr. Wasserman built them layer by layer to preserve Steele's natural dentition.

Myth 4: Temporary Stage Props

These were permanent enough for daily wear, surviving tours, prison, and rehab. Steele maintained them through his career, even on Type O's final album Dead Again (2007).

Photos from the era show the fangs' consistency: sharply pointed, slightly translucent porcelain gleaming under stage lights. In live footage from Przystanek Woodstock 2008—where Type O Negative played to half a million—the fangs are prominent as Steele growls through "Love You to Death."

Fangs in the Spotlight: Impact on Type O Negative's Legacy

The fangs amplified Steele's allure, making him a parent's nightmare and teen icon. Albums like October Rust (1996), with its Neil Young cover "Cinnamon Girl," and World Coming Down (1999) leaned into vampiric doom. Tracks such as "Everything Dies" and "Everyone I Love Is Dead" paired perfectly with his toothy snarl.

Steele's excesses—cocaine-fueled paranoia leading to psychiatric commitment in 2005—took a toll, but the fangs endured. "I was suffering from drug-induced psychosis... putting cameras in light switches," he admitted. Rumors of his death swirled after a fake tombstone (1962-2005) appeared on the band's site, tying into his morbid humor.

Type O Negative's soundtracks for Grand Theft Auto IV, Descent 2, and horror films like Bride of Chucky immortalized the fangs visually and aurally. Posthumously, after Steele's death from heart failure on April 14, 2010, at age 48, the fangs symbolized his unyielding persona.

The Human Cost: Maintenance, Health, and Steele's Reflections

Porcelain fangs required upkeep; Dr. Wasserman checked them regularly, expressing ongoing concern. Steele's 6'8" frame and lifestyle strained his health—heroin, alcohol, and prison—but no reports link the fangs to medical issues.

In rare candid moments, Steele downplayed the drama. His Playgirl stunt and album titles like The Origin of the Feces (1992) showed self-awareness. Reactivating Carnivore in 2006, he balanced aggression with Type O's melancholy until Dead Again.

Legacy of the Fangs: Enduring Fascination

Peter Steele's fangs were a deliberate, dentist-crafted statement of rebellion, not freakish anomaly. Pat's account remains the gold standard: "For years to come Dr. Wasserman would ask me about Pete's fangs with concern, shaking his head back & forth with every answer". They encapsulated Steele's genius—blending horror tropes with humor, vulnerability, and virtuosity.

Today, fans dissect bootlegs and interviews, affirming the porcelain truth. In metal lore, alongside Ozzy Osbourne's mishaps or King Diamond's cosmetics, Steele's fangs stand unique: functional art on a gentle giant. Type O Negative's catalog endures, fangs flashing eternally in "Black No. 1": She's in love with herself / She likes the dark / On her milk white neck, the devil's mark.

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