Ideas on how to stop my 7yoDS sucking his thumb?

[Mrschaps]

Help! It's damaging his teeth and thumb and interfering with schoolwork and lessons.He refuses point blank to stop and doesn't seem to care if he's made fun of.What should I do next?

When you find out, please tell me so that I can tell 13yo DD! So far we have tried the nasty, bitter tasting nail polish that is meant to stop nail-biting, mustard, horseradish, gloves in bed, and a particularly nasty lecture from the dentist that included pictures of the operation where the jaw gets broken and re-set that severe thumb suckers need if their overbite is as bad as DD's is.

TBH, I hold out no hopes of DD stopping - she was sucking her thumb on my 20wk scan, so she's been doing it since BEFORE she was born.

I myself sucked my thumb until I was 13yo. In the end I stopped because I was getting embarrassed by it (in front of the boy I fancied...). I only managed to stop by wearing gloves to bed that I had wrapped an elastic band round the cuff to stop myself from pulling them off in the night. And I really wanted to stop.

Will be watching this with interest as my 7 year old is the same. He lost his first top tooth the other day so will be getting his permanent ones through and I would really like him to stop before they are damaged. DS manages to not suck his thumb at school (he chews on his sleeve or collar or cord from his hat instead but don't get me started on that) so I know he has some control over it. I am thinking perhaps bribes might be the way to go so maybe in the holidays offering incentives for 1/2 day without sucking then working up to whole day with prize when he has managed no sucking for a few days. I think nights will be harder for ds as the thumb justs goes back in while he is sleeping no matter how many times I gently pry it out.