It’s a video that promotes the benefits of sedation dentistry for patients who fear going to the dentist.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” gushes a satisfied patient. “I mean, the whole time, I’d be carrying on that conversation, but I’d be very relaxed, no apprehension at all.”

Sounds like a great promotional concept. Right?

What makes this nearly five-minute video extra special, however, is that it is not a paid video news release but an actual news feature that aired nationwide earlier this month on ABC-TV’s Good Morning America.

Credit goes to Manhattan dentist Jason Kasarsky, DDS, who appeared on camera as a caring, gentile and effective sedation dentist. Dr. Kasarsky has offered oral conscious sedation (OCS) for seven years.

Dr. Kasarsky provided ABC News access to his previously fearful patient and let the cameras roll while she was treated for a new crown. The patient, Cheryl Gillespie, acknowledged that before discovering Dr. Kasarsky and oral conscious sedation, at one point she had avoided dental treatment for five years.

Rather than sing the praises of Dr. Kasarsky and the other dedicated dentists who provide OCS to their patients, Dr. Joel Weaver, a spokesman for the American Dental Association, offered only veiled threats. “If the patient is overdosed, they (sic) could lose consciousness and that could include a problem with their breathing,” Dr. Weaver told ABC News.

Still, Dr. Weaver’s warning seemed trite compared to the smiles of Ms. Gillespie and the implicit endorsement of both the Good Morning America reporter and anchor.