A system for providing spinal stabilization, comprising: an implant including a body extending from a leading end to an opposite trailing end, said body including a superior bone engaging surface and an opposite inferior bone engaging surface, said superior and inferior bone engaging surfaces (30, 32) engaging respective endplates of upper and lower vertebrae when said implant is positioned in a spinal disc space between the upper and lower vertebrae; and a plate for engagement with the upper and lower vertebrae, said plate including a plate body extending between an upper end and an opposite lower end, said plate body including a top surface and an opposite bottom surface facing the upper and lower vertebrae when said plate is engaged therewith; wherein the implant and the plate are not physically attached or otherwise coupled to one another, and wherein said plate body includes a pair of bone screw holes (78, 80) adjacent to said upper end that extend through said top and bottom surfaces (86, 88) and a second pair of bone screw holes (82, 84) adjacent to said lower end that extend through said top and bottom surfaces (86, 88), and further comprising a first pair of bone screws extending through said first pair of bone screw holes (78, 80) for engagement with the upper vertebra and a second pair of bone screws extending through said second pair of bone screw holes (86, 88) for engagement with the lower vertebra, and wherein said plate includes a retaining element rotatable relative to said plate between a first position where said bone engaging fasteners are positionable through said bone screw holes (78, 80, 82, 84) and a second position where a portion of said retaining element covers a portion of each of said bone screws (14, 16) to prevent backout of said bone screws (14, 16) from said bone screw holes (78, 80, 82, 84), wherein the retaining element includes a cross-like configuration including ends (86a-d) and concavely curved sidewall portions (90a-b) that can be aligned simultaneously with the respective adjacent bone screw hole (78, 80, 82, 84) to allow insertion of the respective bone screw (14, 16) and its proximal head into the adjacent bone screw hole (78, 80, 82, 84), and, when the bone screw heads are seated in bone screw holes (78, 80, 82, 84), retaining element can be rotated so that the ends (86a-d) overlap the respective bone screw hole (78, 80, 82, 84) and block or contact the bone screw head to prevent bone screw back-out from bone screw holes (78, 80, 82, 84). an implant including a body extending from a leading end to an opposite trailing end, said body including a superior bone engaging surface and an opposite inferior bone engaging surface, said superior and inferior bone engaging surfaces (30, 32) engaging respective endplates of upper and lower vertebrae when said implant is positioned in a spinal disc space between the upper and lower vertebrae; and a plate for engagement with the upper and lower vertebrae, said plate including a plate body extending between an upper end and an opposite lower end, said plate body including a top surface and an opposite bottom surface facing the upper and lower vertebrae when said plate is engaged therewith; wherein the implant and the plate are not physically attached or otherwise coupled to one another, and wherein said plate body includes a pair of bone screw holes (78, 80) adjacent to said upper end that extend through said top and bottom surfaces (86, 88) and a second pair of bone screw holes (82, 84) adjacent to said lower end that extend through said top and bottom surfaces (86, 88), and further comprising a first pair of bone screws extending through said first pair of bone screw holes (78, 80) for engagement with the upper vertebra and a second pair of bone screws extending through said second pair of bone screw holes (86, 88) for engagement with the lower vertebra, and wherein said plate includes a retaining element rotatable relative to said plate between a first position where said bone engaging fasteners are positionable through said bone screw holes (78, 80, 82, 84) and a second position where a portion of said retaining element covers a portion of each of said bone screws (14, 16) to prevent backout of said bone screws (14, 16) from said bone screw holes (78, 80, 82, 84), wherein the retaining element includes a cross-like configuration including ends (86a-d) and concavely curved sidewall portions (90a-b) that can be aligned simultaneously with the respective adjacent bone screw hole (78, 80, 82, 84) to allow insertion of the respective bone screw (14, 16) and its proximal head into the adjacent bone screw hole (78, 80, 82, 84), and, when the bone screw heads are seated in bone screw holes (78, 80, 82, 84), retaining element can be rotated so that the ends (86a-d) overlap the respective bone screw hole (78, 80, 82, 84) and block or contact the bone screw head to prevent bone screw back-out from bone screw holes (78, 80, 82, 84).