A video of an orthodox Jewish paediatric dentist dazzling a young patient with magic tricks has gone viral, with the dental practitioner describing the experience as “overwhelming”.

Dr Eyal Simchi, who has a practice in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, attempts to make a trip to his surgery a fun experience for his patients, many of whom do not enjoy trips to the dentist.

In a video published last Friday, Dr Simchi can be seen enchanting a young patient through the use of thumb lights, making it appear as if he is pulling lights out of his ears, as well as making the lights vanish and reappear at will. The video has been watched more than sixteen million times on Facebook and ten million times on Twitter.

In a message posted on the dental practice Facebook page on Tuesday, Dr Simchi wrote: “Thank you to everyone for the overwhelming reaction to our video. One of the few times having something viral is a good thing.”

The Facebook page contains other videos and pictures of Dr Simchi working his magic and making children smile.

His surname is fitting – “Simchi” means “my joy” in Hebrew.