Nothing But the Best
Now with three convenient locations and a growing staff, Best Dentist 4 Kids extends its brand of friendly, compassionate pediatric dentistry to a new wave of patients.
by Matt Cosentino

Whenever he looks to hire a new employee for his thriving dental practice, Michael Koumaras, D.M.D., seeks a trusted professional with the right training and background who fits in with the rest of the team. But there is one desirable trait he looks for in every team member—a dentist, a hygienist, the support staff—that rises above every other.
 
“My whole hiring process is based on this: Are you a good person?” he says. “I want good people with good morals who are going to take good care of these kids and will care about them. I feel like if you hire a good person, they will just do the right thing naturally, rather than us having to teach them the difference between right and wrong. We’re lucky to have those kinds of people on our team.”
 
That philosophy has served Dr. Koumaras well as he has continued to expand his pediatric practice, Best Dentist 4 Kids, in order to provide the specialized, compassionate care that he believes children of all ages deserve to even more local families. In addition to its longtime offices in Philadelphia and Hatboro, the practice added a third location in Montgomeryville last year, extending its influence to a whole new wave of patients.
 
Of course, filling out the staff to make a third office viable was a lot easier considering that Dr. Koumaras’s sister, Dena O’Larnic, D.M.D., was ready to join the family business. 
 
“It made sense with my sister coming in to add this office so we could build it together, and it’s going really well,” he says. “There’s a big age gap between us—I’m 14 years older than her—so I was around when she was a little girl. I would come home from college and not go out with my friends so I could stay in and spend time with her. I think I’ve always been a mentor to her, or just a classic big brother who she has looked up to. Now it’s great to work together.”
 
Similarly to how he was a role model for his sister, Dr. Koumaras got interested in dentistry, and specifically focusing on the pediatric side, because of his mother, Lennie Checchio, D.D.S., who remains an integral part of the practice after more than four decades in the field.
 
“She’s going to keep working until she physically can’t,” Dr. Koumaras says of his mom. “She still loves walking in, seeing the kids, and interacting with them. She picked the right career, for sure.”
 
Along with Dr. O’Larnic, another key recent addition is Tyler Serres, D.D.S., who joined about a year ago as Best Dentist 4 Kids’ first full-time orthodontist. Dr. Serres possesses all of the qualities the practice has become known for, according to Dr. Koumaras.
 
“He is a great orthodontist,” he adds. “He’s very personable, our patients love him, his care is great, and he’s easy to get along with. It’s working out beautifully.”
 
Since roughly half of the children that Best Dentist 4 Kids treats end up requiring braces, being able to offer orthodontics in-house makes it all the more convenient families. Dr. Serres, like the rest of the team, also has experience working with special needs patients.
 
“Most of our families decide to stay here for their orthodontic care,” Dr. Koumaras says. “They already trust us and they know we’re going to give them great care for their braces too. It’s easier because we have all of their information, they know we’re in their network for insurance, and we can pre-authorize everything right away. It’s kind of a no-brainer.”
 
The addition of orthodontics has made Best Dentist 4 Kids busier than ever, but Dr. Koumaras has no plans to expand any further. In an era when many medical offices are becoming corporately owned, he likes the personal touch that an independent practice like his can offer.
 
“I really like the place we’re at,” he says. “I have so many employees who have been with me for a long time. They do great work and the patients love them. It’s personal to us.”
 
Best Dentist 4 Kids
BestDentist4Kids.com
 
461 N. Warminster Road
Hatboro, PA 19040
(215) 672-5437
 
9815 Roosevelt Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19114
(215) 333-9697
 
396 Doylestown Road
Montgomeryville, PA 18936
(215) 645-5667
 
Photo by Jody Robinson
 
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, October 2025.
 

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