You are not alone if you dread going to the dentist. There is a lot of evidence that Americans, and in general people across the world, tend to skip dental visits due to fear or worry about what might happen at their next visit. While some studies have found this percentage as low as 9%, other research suggests it may be closer to 20%.
But did you know that there are scarier places here on earth that will make your most dreaded visits to the dentist pale in comparison? It’s so true! These places are so scary that you might just forget your fear of going to the dentist.
We live in a large, beautiful world, but it also has its fair share of scary and strange places—places just waiting to be discovered by the next morbidly intrigued adventurer.
Here are 15 of the scariest places on the planet that are scarier than the dentist:
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Nagoro Village in Japan
Nagoro is a tiny Japanese village with one unique feature: a population of life-sized doll copies that outnumber the human population by roughly ten to one. Tsukimi Ayano, the resident of Nagoro’s neighborhood, began crafting doppelgängers after her neighbors passed or moved away. The uncanny dolls number 350 compared to the village population of 27 people, making it an unusual village.
2. Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital in Germany
Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital is a decrepit building that even the most unassuming passerby would deem haunted. The hospital was founded in 1898 for two purposes: to serve as both a sanatorium and military hospital during World War I, where it became well known for treating cases of tuberculosis from soldiers returning home injured or ill. The abandoned hospital is not a place for people who are easily frightened. Huge trees have taken over the surgical and mental wards, creating an atmosphere that looks like it could be out of a horror story. The smell in these parts has also been unbearable with old medical supplies mingling together to create a rank stench reminiscent of rotting flesh—definitely not pleasant!
3. Pripyat in Ukraine
Pripyat’s mysterious desolate state is a stark reminder of the cost that comes with neglecting one’s duties to their people. The city was founded in 1970 and had grown to over 50,000 residents by the time it was completely evacuated following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Since then Pripyat has remained an empty ghost town like some apocalyptic nightmare- not even looters have been willing to take anything from this place other than memories that may offer clues on how people can learn from history.
4. Hanging Coffins in Sagada, Philippines
The people of Sagada bury their dead in coffins on the side of a cliff. This tradition dates back thousands of years, where each coffin was made by hand to suit its occupant before they died. Many are hundreds of years old and still stand strong today with no signs that age will stop them any time soon!
5. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery
Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in the suburb of Chicago, Illinois, has been home to more than 100 reports and sightings deemed unexplained. The eerie atmosphere is what locals argue makes it one of the scariest places on earth.
6. Aokigahara Woods: Suicide Forest
Aokigahara is a forest in Japan that has become notorious for being the perfect place to commit suicide. With animals less common, and an eerie stillness throughout (where you can’t even hear birds singing), this woodland provides safety from any external interferences while allowing the person who killed themselves to dwell on their death.
7. Capuchin Catacombs
Palermitans and celebrities were buried in the Catacombs from 1700-1900 with generous donations. The Friars would mummify them for their eternal display, while family members could visit and worship well-preserved corpses that had been prepared by the friars’ process of mummification.
8. Snake Island
Ilha de Queimada Grande is a famous island off the coast of Brazil. It got its name because there are so many golden lancehead vipers, up to five per square meter! This has led it to be known as Snake Island and also one of the most hazardous islands in the world. The location was separated from mainland So Paulo 11 thousand years ago when sea levels rose but over time they adapted to their new environment by becoming hyper-evolved—and super scary snakes!
9. The Great Blue Hole
The Great Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole 125 meters deep off the coast of Belize. For decades, scuba divers and snorkelers have cruised surface waters but few have been brave enough to explore what lies beyond in this colossal abyssal expanse. A thick coating of poisonous hydrogen sulfide stretches across its length like a floating blanket making it difficult for lifeforms such as reef sharks or turtles to survive below 90-meter depths where sunlight fades away with only corals left behind – stationary beings that rely on stillness alone.
10. Isla de la Muñecas
Don Julian Santana retreated to an island on Teshuilo Lake in the Xochimilco canals over fifty years ago, abandoning his wife and child. Some claim that a young girl drowned there while others, including his relatives, claim that Don Julian Santana made up this story about the lost soul. Regardless of whether or not he is telling tales from beyond death’s door for revenge against those who abandoned him decades before; what cannot be denied is how dedicated he became at commemorating her with hundreds upon hundreds of dolls which now cover every inch of land and tree branch around the lake as if it were some strange doll-infested paradise designed specifically for kids’ nightmares come true.
11. Door to Hell, Turkmenistan
The Door to Hell is one of the world’s most unusual natural wonders. The crater has been burning for nearly five decades, and its flames can be seen from miles away in any direction. As if they were a beacon signaling travelers lost in the desert night, this fiery pit draws many visitors with interests that range anywhere from tourism to scientific curiosity.
12. Sedlec Ossuary
The Sedlec Ossuary catacomb houses the remains of 40,000 to 70,000 individuals. However, it’s not just a place for graves; some are arranged as part of an art installation or in other creative ways such as being hung from metal hooks like meat on display at your local grocery store.
13. Veijo Rönkkönen Sculpture Garden
Veijo Rönkkönen was known as one of Finland’s most famous modern folk painters, but he lived a life hermit-like. He created his own personal sculpture garden in the backyard by assembling almost 500 concrete figurines that are eerie and grotesque to look at with their sinister grins complete with human teeth.
14. Komodo Island
On Komodo Island, no one can hear you scream…at least not the Indonesian dragons. Even if you’re hidden a few kilometers away, their tongues can taste you. These cannibalistic scavengers are some of the largest lizards on earth and they’re nasty as well as large and frightening to look at– with huge teeth that could kill most animals just by biting them! If those weren’t enough weapons for these creatures, their saliva is also full of deadly germs and venom which make it near impossible to escape from once bitten.
15. Gomantong Cave
The darkness is alive in this cave in Malaysia as if you were watching a horror film! Millions of cockroaches feast on the guano and eat small bones from bats or birds that make their way into the swarm. There’s some poetic justice though: centipedes are also crawling all over the walls, killing any insect they get close to. The circle of life continues with these beautiful creatures at work.
Although this article has been filled with images of the world’s most terrifying places, it is important to remember that there are still more scary things in life than visiting a dentist. Stay healthy and be sure to keep your teeth clean by brushing at least twice daily!
Although this article has been filled with images of the world’s most terrifying places, it is important to remember that there are still more scary things in life than visiting a dentist. Stay healthy and be sure to keep your teeth clean by brushing at least twice daily!
Are You Looking for a Dentist Who Can Help With Your Dental Anxiety?
Do you worry about going to the dentist? If so, then Balfour Dental in Brentwood is a great place for you. They have over thirty years of experience helping patients with dental anxiety and their services include many different certifications that are top-of-the-line! Dr. Rayani and Dr. Siao both have many different certifications, including Invisalign Certification, Implant Dentistry, Sleep Apnea Treatment, Cerec CAD-CAM Restorations, Neuromuscular Dentistry, and Implants respectively. Our dental office is locally owned and operated by Dr. Dimple Rayani and Dr. Sien Siao, two professionals with vast experience in Implant Retained Denture treatments as well as general dentistry. If you are looking to renew your smile, contact Balfour Dental today!