Who It's For and How It Works

If you have limited or absent tongue mobility, you may have found yourself using a finger or an ill-fitting utensil to reposition food inside your mouth—or avoiding certain foods because eating has become difficult and time-consuming. I understand this experience personally.

I developed Tougles when I needed a functional way to manually reposition food inside my mouth while eating.

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Tougles is a handheld assistive eating tool used to manually reposition food already inside the mouth. The user controls the tool by hand, guiding food toward and between the teeth for chewing. It does not move independently or perform any part of the swallowing process. With continued use, the movements became more familiar and intuitive—much like learning to use a utensil.

​My Experience

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Tougles grew directly from my own experience. My recovery serves as Tougles’ first informal case study, with progress documented by my treating physician. During my recovery, Tougles became the tool I used to manually reposition food during meals. Over time, I transitioned off my feeding tube, increased my food intake and regained weight. I also experienced dramatic improvements in strength, speech and participation in everyday life. This reflects my individual experience; outcomes and abilities vary.​

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“Angilee’s invention made it possible for her to transition from a liquid diet fed through a feeding tube in the stomach to eating solid foods by mouth again.”

— Andrew T. Day, MD, MPH

Head & Neck Surgical Oncologist, UT Southwestern

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Tougles does not assist with or control swallowing. It is designed only to help the user manually reposition food within the mouth during eating. Tougles is designed as an assistive eating tool and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or medical condition. Individuals with swallowing difficulties or concerns about whether eating by mouth is appropriate for them should consult their qualified healthcare professional before use. Use Tougles carefully and only as directed. Please review the instructions and how-to videos before using Tougles. Individual experiences and abilities will vary.

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