09 March 2024 , 07:00
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An abandoned dental surgery had been left frozen in time with giant needles and pulled out teeth littered around the clinic.
Urban explorer Leland Kent bravely stepped foot inside the eerie Georgia-based practice and took snaps of its sodden insides. For decades, the family-run dentist was the hub of its rural community.
But natural disaster struck and after being flooded with inches of water, its heart-broken owners opted to pack up and run, leaving everything left inside. Leland, who’s garnered tens of thousands of fans online known as Abandoned Southeast, explored the washed-out practice.
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Expensive equipment lies upon a sodden carpet and hemmed in by mouldy walls (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)“It felt surreal, like everyone went home one day and never returned,” he said as he trudged through its different, mould-riddled rooms. “You can feel the sagging carpet and weak floor from the flood when you walk.”
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He added: “You see the visible water line throughout the inside that serves as a reminder of why the office closed.”
Inside one room, Leland photographed left behind toothbrushes, mouthwash and stickers for children who practised good oral hygiene – a reminder of how the dentists sat at the heart of its community.
Molars, incisors and canines look as though they've been plucked form patients' mouths (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)“I love discovering what is left behind inside these old structures,” he added. “It is fascinating to see how these small family-owned businesses once operated.”
A collection of antique machinery also caught the explorer’s eye, as he marvelled at the vintage chairs and equipment. “I think the most interesting thing would be the vintage dental chairs and X-ray machine in the hallway. I am surprised so much remains years later,” Leland said.
Archaic machines lie dormant in the abandoned building (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)For all the latest news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to
But things went from fascinating to bizarre in a matter of seconds as Leland stumbled upon hundreds of tarnished teeth, which looked like they had been yanked out and spread on the side.
On another counter lay plaster moulds of peoples mouths, with teeth missing next to a large, rusted set of pliers. Rather fittingly a yellow box of film-coated pain relief tablets sat behind. Huge needles sat next to denture powder nearby.
Pain relief medicine sits besides a chunky set of pliers (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)It’s not the first abandoned healthcare centre Leland has explored inside. Back in May, 2023, he captured images of a spooky hospital which was sold to its local community for $1.
The one-thriving medical centre, which had beds for 60 patients, looked washed out and in disarray.
Expensive pieces of machinery had been left to rot since 2005 and its dissued surgical suites became a refuge for the homeless. Thankfully, it made the perfect setting for a haunted house which the locals did up and turned a whopping $30,000 profit.
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Two comically-large needle sit perched on the counter (mediadrumimages/Leland Kent)"While the building is now in shambles from years of neglect, a portion of the building is repurposed yearly as a haunted house attraction,” Leland said.
Its ground now welcomes farmers markets and food trucks on the weekend, he added.