I've got to say I was very much in the don't pin em down camp but I think I've changed my mind.

DD was a serial brush chewer, we were getting to the stage where she really didn't allow any help and there wasn't a lot of toothbrush action happening. While we were away over Xmas our friends little boy happily tipped his head back while his teeth were given a good scrub.

When we got home DH gave it a go - after her bath he wrapped her baby doll in a towel, tipped her back and brushed her teeth. Then he did the same to DD. Hands were held in the towel and she was tipped back so she would open her mouth. She squealed like a trapped piglet and cried quite a bit, I hid downstairs because I'm doing my utmost to support sharing parenting decisions and I wouldn't have done that myself. All in all it took 4 days, with hugely reduced tears each day. Now she asks to have her teeth brushed, (as does baby Mat too, of course!) and hopefully she'll have all her milk teeth to show for it right up until she no longer requires them.