TOUGLES
The Assistive Eating Tool
PATENT PENDING
Tougles is an original invention created by Angilee, a tongue cancer survivor. Each tool is lovingly crafted from maple by a local woodturner. The pouches for the Tougles are handmade and donated by her mom.
Who It's For and How It Works
If your original tongue has been removed or you have tongue paralysis, then Tougles may be able to assist you with eating foods again.
If in the absence of the tongue's ability to redirect food, you have found yourself moving food in your mouth using your finger or a utensil that just wasn’t the right fit or you have given up on solid foods because it takes too long and is too difficult to chew your food, then the Tougles should be useful to you—it is a game changer for me and has been for others that have had glossectomies.
Tougles works by serving as the mechanism by which to redirect food within your mouth and towards your teeth so that it may be chewed and swallowed. During eating, Tougles is placed within the mouth, hand-held by the user, and directed by the movements of the user’s hand to move food towards the teeth so that it may be processed and swallowed. It remains constantly in motion within the mouth cavity while the user eats. The more one uses it the easier it gets. Before you know it, it becomes as thoughtless as using any eating utensil.
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The Tougles will not assist with swallowing; it is only a means by which to move food. That said, in my experience, the more I began to chew and eat, the stronger my swallowing abilities became.
Designed to support accessibility. Not intended as a medical device. Use with care and follow safety guidelines. See my how-to videos for instruction and reach out to me if you have questions.
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I'm Here to Help
I know the struggle; I, too, have speaking and eating challenges resulting from a glossectomy surgery. I created Tougles to help me get off a feeding tube and eat solid foods again. Now I can eat just about anything, and my speech is much improved. I've found that eating solid food and actively speaking strengthens the tongue muscle, which in turn makes eating and speaking easier, and this is true even if you only have a very small portion of your original tongue. I want to share my invention with you so that you too will be nourished and enjoy eating once again. It's possible, I did it!
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