The Roots of Teeth

I'm not sure if this metaphor is working for me like comparing the roots of teeth to the roots that a person puts down it seems a little forced I don't know yeah. It's less the roots you put down than the roots you had in the first place so your ties to where you came from well just like your metaphorical roots. "Everybody's got them they're always white like unless you drink a lot of coffee or a lot of red wine or whatever" Smith often comments on it when she's describing a new character and says, 'What type of teeth do they have'