Sawfish evolved long snouts armed with rows of teeth on both sides, although these spines do not represent true teeth, but highly modified fish scales, or dermal denticles. This adaptation could be related to their feeding habits, such as sifting through sand/mud to search for food or to slash at prey. Like extant sawsharks, these spines were attached to the rostrum of sclerorhynchids like Atlanticopristis using ligaments, compared to modern sawfish which have their teeth attached via alveoli (tooth sockets). The longitudinal ribbing, or ridges, of enameloid that can be seen on sclerorhynchid teeth would have aided in the attachment of these ligaments.
