A cervical plate assembly facilitates the fusion of cervical vertebrae by quickly and easily causing the vertebrae to exert a preloading force against a bone graft interposed therebetween. A cervical plate assembly also facilitates the installation of the cervical plate assembly in an orthopedic surgical procedure by providing both a locking mechanism that positively retains one or more fasteners thereto and a viewing window that results in an unobstructed view of the vertebrae and the bone graft.
