A surgical cutting system configured to prepare an intervertebral space for inserting an intervertebral implant, comprising: a trial spacer member , a drill guide configured to be fixed with respect to the trial spacer member , the drill guide including a guide portion , the drill guide defining a guide hole that extends through the guide portion along a guide hole axis; a drill guide sleeve configured to be at least partially received in the guide hole , the drill guide sleeve including a sleeve body , the drill guide sleeve defining a sleeve opening disposed through the sleeve body ; and a drill bit configured to drill through first and second vertebral bodies (V1, V2), the drill bit configured to be at least partially received in the sleeve opening and guided through the sleeve opening along the guide hole axis so as to create a drilled opening in the first vertebral body (V1), characterized in that the trial spacer member is sized to fit in an intervertebral space between the first and second vertebral bodies (V1, V2), the trial spacer member defining an upper surface that is configured to contact an inferior surface of the first vertebral body (V1) and a lower surface that is opposite the upper surface and configured to contact a superior surface of the second vertebral body (V2), wherein the guide hole is oriented relative to the trial spacer member when the drill guide is fixed with respect to the trial spacer member such that the drilled opening is elongate along a drill axis that is substantially parallel to at least a portion of the upper surface of the trial spacer member when the trial spacer member is disposed in the intervertebral space. a trial spacer member , a drill guide configured to be fixed with respect to the trial spacer member , the drill guide including a guide portion , the drill guide defining a guide hole that extends through the guide portion along a guide hole axis; a drill guide sleeve configured to be at least partially received in the guide hole , the drill guide sleeve including a sleeve body , the drill guide sleeve defining a sleeve opening disposed through the sleeve body ; and a drill bit configured to drill through first and second vertebral bodies (V1, V2), the drill bit configured to be at least partially received in the sleeve opening and guided through the sleeve opening along the guide hole axis so as to create a drilled opening in the first vertebral body (V1), characterized in that the trial spacer member is sized to fit in an intervertebral space between the first and second vertebral bodies (V1, V2), the trial spacer member defining an upper surface that is configured to contact an inferior surface of the first vertebral body (V1) and a lower surface that is opposite the upper surface and configured to contact a superior surface of the second vertebral body (V2), wherein the guide hole is oriented relative to the trial spacer member when the drill guide is fixed with respect to the trial spacer member such that the drilled opening is elongate along a drill axis that is substantially parallel to at least a portion of the upper surface of the trial spacer member when the trial spacer member is disposed in the intervertebral space. <EOS>