Will I need a root canal if I'm going to get complete dentures?

If you don't plan on keeping the tooth then a root canal isn't something you will need. (By way of example, if your car were going to the crusher in a junk yard, would you pay to replace the tires?)

If you have decided to have all of your teeth removed, it serves no purpose to have root canal treatment on your natural teeth.

There are times however when it is a consideration to maintain some natural teeth, cover them with gold custom-made copings (thimbles) and have the denture made over them. The purpose of maintaining some teeth is to help preserve the ridge and keep it from resorbing by minimizing the pressure of the denture on the ridge. Also, it maintains some of the feeling of your natural teeth in your mouth. In order to make the copings the appropriate height, root canal treatment is often necessary so that the height of the actual tooth structure can be correctly adjusted.

It depends on how "complete" the word "complete" is. If it means all teeth will be removed and you will have dentures 100%, no, then a root canal would not be necessary. However, sometimes "complete" dentures still have an anchor tooth or two -- if this is the case (and that tooth is the root canal tooth in question), then yes, if it needs it, get the root canal.

Sometimes roots of teeth are saved to help hold dentures in place. If a root is saved, it will need a root canal. Magnets or snap on attachments can be placed in the denture to attach to the roots of the teeth that are saved. These saved roots can give the denture more stability.

Generally, when you are receiving a full denture you would have or be having all of your teeth removed and thus would not have any teeth remaining to have root canal therapy. However, sometimes you and your dentist may determine that you would benefit by having some way of making a new denture more solid or stable in order to keep it from moving around. One way of providing this stability is by making an overdenture that rests on or attaches to something underneath of it. This could be either a natural tooth or a dental implant. When a natural tooth (or in most cases two or more teeth) is kept it has the nerve removed by root canal therapy so that it can have most of the tooth that sticks up out of the gum removed to allow the denture to fit over it. These retained roots can either provide a base for the denture to rest on or, better yet they can have some form of attachment (e.g. ball and sockets or magnets) that will really keep the denture stable during eating and talking. these roots also help keep the bone thicker and stronger to help support the denture. This treatment has lost some popularity in recent years as dental implants are providing longer-lasting, more predictable treatment outcomes in these situations.

Most likely not. By definition, complete dentures mean that you have lost ALL of your teeth and the dentures will COMPLETELY replace your teeth and the supporting structures (gums and bone) that used to hold your teeth in your mouth.

In certain instances, certain teeth will be retained and used as abutments to support or retain your dentures. In these cases, root canals are sometimes needed. However, the dentures that you would then receive would be referred to as partial dentures or overdentures, and not complete dentures.

I agree with the answers already provided. The few reasons you might need to have a root canal could be answered by your dentist -- if you are in need of having full dentures.

If you still have questions about this you should discuss this with your dentist.

Complete dentures replace all the natural teeth with artificial ones. If you have all your natural teeth replaced then a root canal is not necessary. If however your dentist is prescribing an overdenture, then some teeth roots are left in the jaw to help stabilize the denture. In this case the retained roots should be treated with root canal fillings.

The overdenture theory is a traditional option usually best for a lower denture. The retained roots help preserve the bony ridge and may be a better option than the more expensive implant-retained denture.

In most cases, a complete denture would mean the removal of all teeth. Unless you are having a root saved for something such as an overdenture or to preserve the bone for another purpose, there would be no need for a root canal. 

Usually, a root canal treatment would not be necessary for someone whose ultimate treatment plan is to get a set of complete dentures. This is because the function of a root canal is to remove and prevent further infection in the root of a tooth that is to be retained in the mouth. In complete dentures, normally all the teeth and their roots are extracted.
However, in certain circumstances, a dentist may wish to retain the root and a portion of the outer or crown part of the tooth to help with retention or stability of the full denture. This is known as an overdenture, meaning the denture fits "over" parts of remaining teeth. In most cases, these remaining tooth roots supporting an overdenture will need to have root canal treatments and be sealed with a bonded or cast metal restoration to prevent any chances of infection later on.

With the advent of implant technology, this "overdenture" procedure isn't done as commonly as it used to be because implants can "anchor" a full denture better and with less chance of subsequent infection.

All remaining teeth are removed prior to receiving complete dentures, therefore root canals, which are intended to save teeth, wouldn't be necessary.  

Complete dentures by definition mean dentures that cover the whole arch of the mouth (it can be upper or lower arch of the mouth). So, that means you don't have any remaining teeth in the arch and therefore, you don't need root canals since you don't have any teeth left. Possibly you might have a complete denture on the top arch and partial denture on the bottom. Then, you might have remaining teeth that might need root canal. Or another scenario could be that you are getting root-retained over dentures. If that's the situation, you need root canal on those remaining teeth.

My suggestion will be you talk to your dentist and make sure you understand the  treatment you're getting and clarify to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding.

Complete dentures usually means there are no teeth left, so, no, you don't need a root canal.

If, however, a tooth is being retained as an anchor for the denture, then a root canal would be necessary.

Usually getting a complete denture means getting all the teeth extracted and replacing them with a prosthetic device or a denture. There are exceptions to this however.

On occasions when it is feared that the remaining bone structure after the extractions will be insufficient to support the denture, the dentist might elect to try a couple of things with the remaining teeth. Both of these procedures require root canal treatment.

The first procedure requires the placement of attachments in the root structure. This is the same premise that they use with implants. Zest anchor attachments is the most popular brand for this. A female attachment is placed in the amputated root surface that has been root canal treated. A Teflon male attachment is then placed in the denture in a location so that it snaps into place. These attachments are stock pieces that can be replaced as they wear. The requirement for the tooth to be used in this way is that it have plenty of bone to keep it in place.  

The other procedure requires root canal therapy with root amputation so that you can place a sufficient layer of gingiva or gum tissue over the root to kind of bury the root. This has limited success but has worked in the past for periods of time.

The reason for keeping a tooth in is after every extraction there is a bone resorption or loss that limits the stability of the denture. The more bone you have to support the denture the more stable it will hold. There is also a requirement in order to use a tooth in either of these two ways -- they need to be firmly in bone. 

Denture stability and comfort has been an age-old problem that most recently has been solved with the implant development. The use of natural teeth in the form of root canal therapy and root burial or precision attachments is cheaper than implants but not necessarily better. Implants are placed surgically into the bone and allowed to heal or incorporate into the bone.  

Of course the best thing is to take care of your natural teeth and keep them. No matter how good the technology is or how many improvements that we make, we can never replace what you were given naturally. One of the patient's biggest source of frustration is prosthetics or dentures (partial or complete). 

So if you have your teeth please floss and brush twice a day and use an ADA approved toothpaste. 

Most of the time completed dentures are made to replace teeth when all the teeth are missing in the mouth. However, when teeth are missing, the bone underneath can resorb or shrink which in turn can cause the denture to get loose in time. 

Sometimes, some teeth can be saved with root canal treatment that can help support the denture. The roots have an attachment that the denture snaps into to help stabilize it. This type of denture is called an over denture. Keeping the root part of the tooth with root canal treatment can help to keep the bone from shrinking and help to prevent the denture from loosening.

If you still have some remaining healthy, natural teeth and your dentist will be making an overdenture, it's likely that you'll need a root canal. During a root canal, a doctor removes the pulp (the tooth's nerve) and replaces it with a filling. This way, the tooth is less sensitive when it's time for the dentist to shorten and shape the tooth to fit under the denture. If your teeth aren't healthy enough to keep, it's likely that the dentist will have to remove them completely.